A suspected gunman is in custody after an Auburn, Alabama, police officer was shot dead and two fellow officers were hurt, the local police chief said.
The three officers were met with gunfire while responding to a “domestic disturbance” at the Arrowhead mobile home park Sunday night, Auburn Police Chief Paul Register said at a news conference.
The two injured officers are expected to recover, Register said.
“This is probably the worst day of my time here. Words cannot express the loss,” the chief said. “We’re just trying to be there with our officers and those families right now.”
The shooting sparked an overnight manhunt for the suspect, identified as 29-year-old Grady Wayne Wilkes, Register said.
Wilkes was taken into custody on Monday morning, according to Auburn University Campus Safety.
Wilkes had not been on the radar of law enforcement, Register said.
The officers’ names have not yet been released.
Forty-three officers have died in the line of duty this year, down 34% from the same time period last year, according to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund.
