A veteran Utah County Sheriff's sergeant was killed and a deputy was critically wounded by a suspect Thursday afternoon.
Sgt. Cory Wride, a 20-year veteran of the department, was ambushed while attempting to help a person he thought was a stranded motorist, according to The Deseret News.
Deputy Greg Sherwood was injured in a separate shooting involving the suspected gunman and remained in critical condition following surgery at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, Utah.
The suspect was also listed in critical condition after being shot by responding deputies.
"We don't have any idea what the motive is here," Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy said at a press conference.
He added that there is the possibility the gunman was waiting for a law enforcement officer to stop just so he could shoot him.
The incident unfolded around 1 p.m. as Wride approached a vehicle he found parked along the side of Route 73 in Eagle Mountain.
Before the deputy even got out of his car, he was fatally shot. Deputies checking on him after he stopped answering his radio discovered his body.
"He was a good man. He was a very helpful person. And that's what he was doing, helping people, when he was shot," Tracy said.
Sherwood was shot in the head around 2:50 p.m. after he spotted the suspect's vehicle. A pursuit ensued and the suspect fired at the deputy while they were driving.
Tracy said that while Sherwood is in critical condition, his prognosis was good.
The gunman then stole a car, sparking another high-speed pursuit before crashing the vehicle around 3:20 p.m.
The man began shooting and Juab County sheriff's deputies returned fire, striking the man before taking him into custody.
Both shootings are currently under investigation.
Officer.com will provide more information on this story as it becomes available.
