Three officer fatalities, several injuries, shooter opens fire with a rifle

BY RACHEL DOVE
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

UPDATE 7/1/22 @ 10:52 p.m.

ALLEN — Prestonsburg canine handler Jacob R. Chaffins is the third officer fatality from Thursday night’s mass shooting in Allen.

Prestonsburg City Police announced Chaffins’ death in a Facebook post at 10:42 p.m. Friday: “You have dedicated your short time on this earth to the service of the citizens of Prestonsburg and the Commonwealth as an EMT, firefighter, and police officer. You further dedicated yourself to the security of our country as a valiant soldier.

“The lives you’ve saved since you even started policing are innumerable, and that’s how you gave your life — saving another. We will shine your light to Paisley and the world so long as we breathe.

“Rest yourself, we have the watch.”

Retired Kentucky State Police Trooper William Petry and Prestonsburg Police Captain Ralph Frasure, along with K-9 Drago, died at the scene Thursday.

Original story 7/1/22 @ 7:41 p.m.

ALLEN — Two police officers were killed and several others were injured Thursday evening when a resident opened fire on them with a rifle in Allen.

All hell broke loose when four officers went to the residence of 49-year-old Lance Storz on Railroad Street around 6:30 p.m. to serve an emergency protective order on Storz in a domestic violence case.

Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt called the mass shooting “planned” and said Storz “seemed to be waiting for them and just opened fire upon their arrival.”

“They encountered pure hell when they arrived,” Hunt said in an emotional news conference Friday outside the Floyd County Courthouse. “They had no chance.”

A call for backup brought officers from several agencies to the scene. Those officers also found themselves in the line of gunfire as soon as they arrived.

“We were there for hours before we even knew where it was coming from,” Hunt said. “We had no way of knowing who was shooting at us or where the shots were coming from.”

Injured officers did not receive immediate medical attention due to the continuous shooting and the inability to reach them.

The four-hour ordeal ended after some negotiation.

“He ended up making some movement on the outside of the property, and they were able to take him,” said Hunt.

Hunt said the shooter had multiple firearms and a vast amount of ammunition.

Retired Kentucky State Police Trooper William Petry and Prestonsburg Police Captain Ralph Frasure died at the scene. Six others, including four police officers and an emergency services director, were injured, and police dog Drago was killed.

One of the six was airlifted to the University of Kentucky Medical Center and underwent surgery Friday morning. The officer believed to be the K-9 handler was being treated for severe carbon monoxide poisoning after taking cover under his vehicle with the motor running while gunshot rang over his head.

“At one time, the car he was under just took a barrage of bullets and shot the K-9 dog in the back seat while this gentleman was under that car,” said the sheriff. “Other officers were injured in other ways.”

Floyd County Attorney Keith Bartley clarified that officers believed Storz’s wife and child were being held hostage inside the home during the nightmare, but the two were not inside the house.

Bartley likened the incident to a ”war zone like you would see on CNN while watching a country under an enemy attack.” He said the sound of shot after shot filled the night and many shots were in rapid succession.

“There’s no question it was a war zone,” he said. “People had night vision goggles and scopes, assault weapons, officers and SWAT team members were in fatigues. If that’s not a war zone, I don’t know what is.

“So many times we hear of ‘police shootings,’ and that is what happened in Allen last night, but it was so much more than that,” added Bartley. “These men are human beings; they’re fathers, husbands, sons and brothers. They were our friends, our protectors, and were highly respected in our county. For all of them, life as they knew it is forever changed. Two of these fine men will never walk through the door again. We will never see their smile or hear their voice.”

Storz, under a $10 million bond, was arraigned Friday via video from the Pike County Detention Center. He pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder of a police officer, six counts of attempted murder, and one count of first-degree assault on a service animal. A public defender is representing him.

Bartley said there would be additional charges against Storz.

“There’s a special place in hell for people like this,” Bartley said. “And if there ain’t, there ought to be.”

Martin County Sheriff John Kirk expressed his sympathies.

“I’ve always said that as a police officer, we none know if our next call will be our last and our time will be up,” Kirk said. “I’ve also said that the most dangerous situation an officer will ever respond to is a domestic violence call. Tempers are hot, emotions are out of control, and there’s no clear thinking, only actions.”

Kirk asks that all Martin Countians join him in prayer for those involved in the Floyd County tragedy.

This article will be updated as information surfaces.