Lakewood, Washington (CNN) — Four Lakewood police officers were fatally shot Sunday in what police said was an ambush in a coffee shop.
The officers were sitting in the coffee shop before the start of their shifts, reading on their computers, when the shooting occurred, Sheriff’s Department spokesman Ed Troyer said. Authorities believe the officers were meeting and going over cases or doing paperwork, he said.
A gunman came inside and shot all four officers, Troyer said. Two coffee shop employees and other customers inside the shop were unharmed, said Troyer, who said the shooting “was a targeted, selected ambush.”
“As you can imagine, they are traumatized,” he said of those inside the coffee shop. “Some are in shock.”
Families of the officers have been notified, Troyer said. All of the officers — three males and a female — were in uniform, wearing vests and had marked patrol cars parked outside, he said.
A $10,000 reward was offered for information leading to an arrest, Troyer said.
One of four police officers killed in an ambush at a coffee house Sunday fought with the gunman and may have wounded him before the officer died just outside the doorway, a sheriff’s spokesman said.
Pierce County sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer told reporters that investigators were asking area medical providers to report any people wounded by gunshots.
Troyer said investigators believe two of the officers were shot dead while sitting in the shop, and a third was killed after standing up. The fourth apparently struggled with the gunman out the doorway and “gave up a good fight,” getting off a few shots before he was either shot there or succumbed to earlier wounds.
Update:
Troyer said authorities are seeking Maurice Clemmons, 37, of Pierce County as part of their investigation, though he did not identify Clemens as a suspect.
“We believe he is intentionally avoiding us,” Troyer said, identifying Clemmons as a “person of interest.”
Clemmons has “extensive violent criminal history from Arkansas, including aggravated robbery and theft,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement. He also was recently charged in Pierce County for assaulting a police officer and the rape of a child, according to the statement.
geez —- I hope John Dvorak reads the direct comments to this article, roughly 50% of which were authored by liberal weenies — whether the authors were serious or joking they are still assholes — is that what this blog is supposed to be about?
Dvorak, you are too smart to promulgate a blog infested like this.
#31 – ± – Dvorak, you are too smart to promulgate a blog infested like this.
ROTFLMAO
I ain’t snitching for $10,000
Get #31 a tissue!
#22 Jet fire, I have yet to see any conclusive evidence that carrying a gun makes you safer, yet people like yourself constantly bleat that they do. Prove it.
Usually, these kinds of acts of violence happen so quickly that those who do carry guns are unable to use them effectively, or end up shooting themselves or an innocent bystander instead.
Fox News web site reports that there are now two suspects, “a male and a black male.”
/Fox, always on their game.
#34 – Special Ed
LOL
Huckabee just got his Willy Horton.
Word is that he commuted the suspects sentence.
#35 fpp2002
“I have yet to see any conclusive evidence that carrying a gun makes you safer, yet people like yourself constantly bleat that they do. Prove it.”
I don’t have to prove it. I just exercising my right to carry. You can choice to not carry while I do. I hope I never have to use it.
You would have to be mighy pissed off at the local PD to do this. Wonder why ?
#10 – My sentiments exactly. I have trouble believing that this blog even gives a shit about law enforcement officers.
#33
how about 120,000 according to the Pierce County Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/PierceCo/status/6187461543
#38, but is the guy black? If so, we have been told that it is wrong and racist to use this case against Huckabee.
‘Cause the guy is a criminally insane asshole who would kill you for the change in your pocket??
Having a weapon makes you able to FIGHT BACK, which IS safer than being unarmed and unprepared to respond to threats, but you still have to have a defensive combat mindset.
Sounds like these 4 got sloppy and lazy with their habits, such as NEVER sitting where you can’t see the door and people around you, or posting a security lookout or not bunching up.
The average street cop is just a civilian with some training and a badge. Easy to get lulled into letting your guard down first thing on a Sunday morning when you’re not expecting any trouble.
I’ve noticed that when shit happens in life, it happens FAST, about one or two seconds at most and it’s already over and too late to react or do anything about it. Take a look at this to see what they were dealing with… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPMEVzv0AO4&feature=player_embedded
My condolences and prayers to these fine public servants and their families.
Cops routinely injure and kill civilians without justification. When this happens, they obfuscate and vigorously defend themselves from any criticism of their irresponsible and reckless actions.
When their own are killed, they cry like little girls and expect all of society to join with them in expressing outrage that someone would dare to kill such important members of society as cops.
Such hypocrisy…
So far nobody has said that whomever did this, it wasn’t just for shits and giggles.
Those cops were all specifically targeted and bullet-raped within seconds. There were up to their uniformed necks in something (legal, but probably otherwise) and the people they pissed off took em’ all out.
‘m not saying that all cops deserve to die, only say 30-40% fit into that category, but I’d feel a LOT safer if we had no cops but the criminals were as conscientious as the shooters in this case, rather than rely on the normal bully, thuggish, mentally deficient and corrupt cops we have at the moment to shoot and beat and taser everyone in sight and let the crooks get away.
Sounds like a professional hit. I think they need to look into the officer’s backgrounds to see if there was any linkage to illegal activity.
In retrospect, police gathering in any significant numbers, out side of a secure facility, seems as cavalier as having a child daycare room inside a federal office building. If police really need to do this sort of “work” with (good) coffee and donuts aplenty. Then perhaps for their protection, and innocent patrons, they ought to have someplace inside police HQ, to do it. Not that I’m blaming these policemen. Nobody could have foreseen this tragedy. But now that it’s apparently that it can happen. Perhaps its time to try and reduce the body count, out in public. This maniac never would have tried to do this back at HQ. There would have been twenty gun drawn on him, all at once. But out in an unprotected area, he had the opportunity to pick his targets, and escape before anyone could stop or ID him. This could happen any where, at any time. But the thing is not to make it so easy to take out so many policemen, all at once. So these frequent group “hang outs” have to be eliminated, for everyone’s safety. At least while they’re in uniform.
Must be some pretty powerful motivation behind this. Doesn’t sound much like a random killing. Either shooter was suicidal or on a hit. If it was a hit why the hell would he go to a coffee shop full of cops? Unless all four of them were objectives. This thing stinks to high heaven. I feel sorry for the families of these public servants. Hopefully it was just another nutcase, otherwise it’s pretty clear that these cops were involved in something they shouldn’t’ve.
I think our Fore Fathers never realized what they were doing. I think their ideal of a “Right to bear arms” was OK for the time. But if they were around now. I don’t think they would give that same right. I am sure pro gun activist will argue but we have enough people in society that cannot handle this right and hurt others because of it.
#44 said, “‘Cause the guy is a criminally insane asshole who would kill you for the change in your pocket??”
Which cop are you referring to?
Turns out Huckabee commuted the killers sentence. Why are republicans soft on crime?
This was payback for the train bombing in Russia…
Great! Fill our prisons up with non violent drug offenders and let scum like this out early to rape and murder. The system at it’s finest…
Such a diverse group of idiots on this one.
That four people were killed by guns is a tragedy. Considering all four were armed and possibly even wearing bullet RESISTANT vests makes it even worse as far as the pro gun crowd goes.
That they were police officers only means that someone had a real hate on. There have been no suspects named. There has been no motive uncovered. But there has been a lot of speculation on what this is all about by idiots that have too much time on their hands.
People, try putting your brain in gear before putting your fingers on the keyboard.
Nice!
29-Special Ed
Lol.
45-Troublemaker
Amen.
#19 Golly, it’s as if I was psychic (or right anyway). ONE day later, the ‘reward’ has gone from the “starter” amount of $10k to $125k. Told ya.
I went to Dunkin’ Donuts this morning. They had the missing donut formation in the display case.