Man reflects on mass shooting suspect calling him during shootout

Man reflects on mass shooting suspect calling him during shootout
Published: Jul. 2, 2022 at 7:36 PM EDT

FLOYD COUNTY, Ky. (WSAZ) -- A mass shooting killed three law enforcement officers Thursday night, and injured four others in the Allen community.

The suspect, Lance Storz, 49, of Allen, faces several charges, including murder of police officers.

Larry Short lives just a few doors down from Storz on Main Street near the intersection of Railroad Street.

He says Storz was a friendly neighbor and would always lend a helping hand to him and his wife.

“Lance was a good friend of the family before all this happened,” he said. “I grieve the fact it happened. It shocked me he actually did what he did.”

Short says he was not home during the time of the shootout Thursday, but said Stroz called him while the shooting was happening.

“I said, ‘I hear you’re shooting cops, you’re killing people, why are you doing that?’” Short said. “He wouldn’t tell me why. He did make the comment, ‘Well, you wouldn’t understand.’ Well, no, I don’t understand. That’s for sure.”

He said he pleaded with Storz to surrender to the police.

“I told him to quit shooting and give yourself up. I don’t want to see you die,” said Short.

Once Storz hung up, Short said he tried to call back, to again try to convince him to stop, but he didn’t answer.

“I have no idea why he did that,” he said.

Other’s who knew Storz said similar things about him being a good neighbor.

A business owner nearby said his family shopped at her store a few times, and she called them a quiet bunch.

“The man that comes in this store showed no signs of violence or even being loud or ya know just boisterous like some people are. There’s just nothing about him that would make me think that he would be like that. Ya know,” said Janice DeBoard.

Mary Meade, whose boyfriend’s shop is next to Storz’s house, said she could only describe this tragedy as an unbelievable shock.

“I don’t know him personally but I talked with him a few times, but he didn’t seem like that type of person but you never know,” said Meade.

The community says they’re left confused and shaken by this mass shooting.

“I have never experienced nothing in Eastern Kentucky like happened here yesterday and we’ve been here almost 45 years now,” said DeBoard.

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