Kentucky Today
An Eastern Kentucky man who opened fire on police officers attempting to serve a warrant related to domestic violence situation Thursday is facing multiple charges, including murder of two police officers.
Lance Stortz, 49, of Allen, was arrested Thursday night after the deadly rampage. Two hostages in the home were safe, according to the Floyd County Sheriff’s Department. The hours-long standoff ended when Storz came out of home around 10 p.m.
Lance Stortz, 49, of Allen was charged with two counts of murdering a police officer and another count of murder along with assault on a service animal. (Image from Kentucky Today)
At an arraignment in Pike County on Friday morning, he faced two charges of murder of a police officer, four counts of attempted murder of a police officer, one additional charge of attempted murder and one count of assault on a service animal, according to court records. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf by District Judge Eric Hall who set his bond at $10 million.
Storz barricaded himself in his home and fired on sheriff deputies who were attempting to serve a warrant, according to Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt. Storz used a rifle to fire multiple rounds at the officers.
The incident happened around 5 p.m. when deputies were serving a warrant and the suspect began firing on them. The suspect then barricaded himself in the home through almost 10 p.m. before surrendering. He was taken into custody by the Kentucky State Police and booked in jail around 5 a.m.
A massive police presence from throughout Eastern Kentucky gathered to offer support in the small community of 182 people, according to Census data.
