Sandy Claims Life Of Off-Duty NYPD Cop Who Rescued His Family

Sandy Claims Life Of Off-Duty NYPD Cop Who Rescued His Family « CBS New York

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Among the 22 people killed in New York City as a result of superstorm Sandy was an off-duty police officer, who died rescuing his family from flood waters.

Officer Artur Kasprzak, 28, died Monday night in the basement of his home on Doty Avenue on Staten Island.

Around 7 p.m., with flood waters surging in his home, Kasprzak was able to get six members of his family, including two men, ages 69 and 31, along with three women, ages 31, 56 and 68 and a 15-month-old boy  into his attic so they could safely escape rapidly rising water.

Kasprzak then told one of the women he rescued that he was going to check the basement, but would be right back, the NYPD said in a release.

However, some time later — around 7:23 p.m., one of the women called 911 to report the officer missing.

After the house was deemed safe to enter, a search ensued around 7 a.m. Tuesday. Kasprzak’s body was found unconscious and unresponsive in the basement. EMS on scene pronounced him dead.NYPD personnel from the Emergency Service and SCUBA units immediately responded to the residence using Zodiac boats and Jet Skis, but couldn’t get to the home because of electrified power lines in the water.

The Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause of death.

Officer Kasprzak was assigned to the 1st Precinct in Manhattan and had six years on the job. Previously, he served the city for one year as an NYPD Cadet, and was assigned to the 122 Pct. Detective Squad.

Sandy killed 18 people in New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. The dead included two who drowned in a home and one who was in bed when a tree fell on an apartment. A 23-year-old woman died after stepping into a puddle near a live electrical wire.

“This was a devastating storm, maybe the worst that we have ever experienced,” Bloomberg said.

Officer talks about getting shot 12 times at Sikh Temple

Officer talks about getting shot 12 times at Sikh Temple 

The police officer who survived 12 gunshots fired by a man on a fatal rampage at a Sikh temple near Milwaukee says he focused on his training as he lay wounded in the parking lot and his assailant kept shooting: "In a high-risk incident, I will survive."

Oak Creek Lt. Brian Murphy was the first officer to respond to the shooting at the temple on Aug. 5, a quiet Sunday morning. He pulled into the parking lot and saw two men lying on the ground. He got out of his squad, walked over to check on them.  Murphy told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he knew at least one was dead.

Then a man dressed in black pants and a white shirt came running toward him.

"As soon as I looked over, it was obvious to see that this more than likely had to be the guy (shooter), just by his dress," Murphy said in his first extensive interview. "And the fact he had a holster on his hip, kind of the giveaway. At that point, I drew down on him and told him, 'police.' I identified myself and told him to stop."

The two were just 30 yards apart when they both began firing. Murphy was armed with his .45-caliber service revolver.

"That's when he hit me in the face," Murphy said. The officer took cover behind a car. Then he was hit again and again and said he thought to himself, "I'm not going out like this. I'm not going out in a parking lot."

Three gunshots struck his protective vest. Eleven more hit his arms, hands, legs and the back of his head. As Murphy wedged himself under a car, the gunman stopped to reload. Neither man spoke.

"He didn't look enraged," Murphy says. "He didn't look anything other than very comfortable in what he was doing."

Murphy said he could hear other officers arriving at the scene and heard the first rifle shot fired by veteran officer Sam Lenda, a marksman. The gunman, Wade Michael Page, was hit, scrambled away and fatally shot himself.

Page had killed six Sikh worshipers and wounded three others.

After three months and three operations, Murphy continues his recovery. He faces additional surgeries but wants to get back to work.

"People always ask me: 'Do you flash back? Do you have nightmares?"' Murphy said. "My answer is no. I have none of that. I'm lucky and I touch wood. I'm very fortunate that way. But what I do look back at is what I could have done different. I have always been a big proponent, no reason to go over 70 miles an hour. You put others at risk. But if I could have gone 100, could I have stopped him from shooting just one other person?"

Murphy said he apologized to the Sikh temple members for not getting there sooner. He said members of the Sikh community visited him in the hospital and have been supportive. 

Deputy killed another injured in motorcycle crash

Deputy killed another injured in motorcycle crash

KATY, Texas - One Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office investigator was killed and another injured in an off-duty accident early Sunday morning in Katy. The case was investigated by the Katy Police Department.

Investigator Shelley Nicodemus died from injuries sustained in the accident and Investigator Moses Perez suffered head and back injuries.

The pair was headed westbound on the Interstate-10 feeder road near Pin Oak Road. Nicodemus was the passenger on the 2007 Harley-Davidson motorcycle and was found about 30 feet from the motorcycle. Perez was found closer to the bike.

The incident occurred at about 12:10 a.m. At the scene of the accident, the feeder road splits with two lanes continuing along the freeway and two lanes turning into Pin Oak Road. The initial report indicated the bike hit the left curb and sent the bike skidding to the right side of the feeder road.

Nicodemus, 45, has been with the Sheriff's Office for about 20 years. She was a member of the Special Crimes Unit in the Criminal Investigation Division. Perez is a detective in the Burglary and Theft Unit of the Criminal Investigations Division. He has been with the Sheriff's Office almost 20 years.


Nicodemus was pronounced dead at the scene by Fort Bend County Death Investigator Chad Dzierzanowski. Perez was transported to Memorial-Hermann - The Medical Center where he underwent surgery Sunday morning. He is listed in stable condition.

Officer Randy Bartow remembered as a man of humor, compassion | Lancaster Eagle Gazette

Officer Randy Bartow remembered as a man of humor, compassion | Lancaster Eagle Gazette 

LOGAN — From a 9 a.m. briefing in Lancaster to an 11 a.m. service at the Logan Church of the Nazarene to the burial at Greenlawn Cemetery in Nelsonville, the friends and family of deceased Lancaster Police Officer Randy Bartow dedicated miles and hours to honoring his memory Saturday.

Many used the drive to reflect on their lost friend.

“I kind of chuckled when we were driving up here,” Bartow’s former partner, Kevin Everhart, said.

“Leave it to Randy to find a cemetery back in this location. That’s just the way Randy was, he was a prankster. (During the drive) I was just kind of reminiscing on some of the good times that we had.”

Everhart, now retired, spoke at the service, focusing on many of the pranks that he and Bartow shared in their time in the narcotics unit. Everhart told those gathered that the always well-mannered Bartow was the only man he knew who ended undercover drug deals by saying, “Thank you sir, have a nice day.”

Bartow, 56, was shot and killed early Tuesday morning while off-duty. Police say Kevin Adams, 40, shot Bartow and his ex-wife, Stephanie Adams, 38, before turning the gun on himself in a domestic dispute at Stephanie Adams’ home.

Everhart gave the last of three eulogies to Bartow, following Lancaster Police Chief Dave Bailey and Communication Technician Jan Sheppard.

Sheppard, too, spoke of the practical jokes and playful fibs from “the brother I never had.”

“There have been so many memories that flooded my head,” she said. “Randy was an ordained minister and he was blind in one eye — those were some of the things he told us in the radio room, and there were some of us who believed him.”

Sheppard laughed at her own naiveté and tendency to fall victim to Bartow’s jokes as the nearly 400 people at the church laughed with her.

Everhart was glad that those mourning were able to find humor during the service, he said, and thought that his friend would have appreciated it.

“He was laughing at us; trust me,” he said. “That’s the way Randy was. He tried to find humor in everything.”

Although Bailey also spoke of the humorous nature of Bartow, he focused on the numerous awards the officer had received. Because of Randy’s private nature, Bailey referred to them as the man’s “hidden side.”

Bartow was twice named Officer of the Year in Lancaster, received the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce’s Brett Markwood Award and served in the United States Marines Reserve and Ohio National Guard prior to joining the police force. Had he been there to do so, Bartow would have deflected the praise for his accomplishments onto others, Bailey said.

Bartow worked as an officer in Logan and Nelsonville prior to joining the Lancaster department and remained a Logan resident.

Bailey said that Bartow was beloved by the entire department and thanked the Fairfield County Sheriff’s office both at the morning briefing and during his eulogy for handling Lancaster’s law enforcement during the service. He thanked various other area law enforcement agencies for their support as well.

The work of those departments allowed a caravan of police cruisers to travel in unison from the station to the church in Logan. Though they had the most officers present, Lancaster was not the only law enforcement agency represented at the funeral. Officers from Lithopolis, Baltimore, Columbus, Logan, Pickerington and Hocking County were in attendance, among others.

Logan Chief of Police Aaron Miller, who worked one year with Bartow, was not surprised that so many people in the law enforcement community felt compelled to pay their respects.

“Randy was equally as highly thought of with the Logan Police Department,” he said. “Just a wonderful community spirit, I can’t say enough about him. He touched everyone. With all of the different details and duties and tasks that he performed, he had contact with these other organizations. I think all of them were equally impressed with all his efforts.”

Most of those officers stood at attention through spitting rain as Bartow’s casket was transported to the hearse and again at the grave site while the remaining members of the force served as pallbearers. The police officers stood six rows deep at Greenlawn Cemetery below an American flag lowered to half mast with a somber black bow affixed to its corner.

Officer John Hill, an 18-year veteran of the Lancaster Police Department, was among the law enforcement in their dress uniforms and at attention while five bagpipers and three drummers commemorated Bartow with “Amazing Grace”.

He said that with Bartow, the cliché was genuine.

“Randy was unlike most people,” Hill said. “He was very sincere; he would do anything for anybody regardless of what it would cost him. You can say this about a lot of people and it’s not always meant, that he would give you the shirt of his back, but with Randy he most definitely would do that.”

Bartow was also known for giving people the shirt out of his pocket. In his time as a police officer he developed a habit of forming dollar bills into origami shirts and giving them to individuals he encountered whose day needed a lift.

Everhart saw Bartow distribute many of those shirts throughout their time together as partners, though was never able to master the intricate folding himself, he said. All three eulogies contained anecdotes about the mementos.

Because of the type of person Bartow was, Everhart said he suspects most of those dollar-bill shirts are still folded away somewhere.

“He leaves such a lasting impression because of the type of person he was,” Everhart said. “Randy and I were so close. I consider him as much my brother as my biological brothers are and so does my family.”

The Lancaster Police Department did some folding of their own to conclude the funeral. The flag that rested on Bartow’s casket throughout the service was carefully folded according to protocol and Bailey presented it to the deceased officer’s family in order to honor the man who wore badge No. 91.

Given his humble nature and ability to find joy in all aspects of life, Everhart said that the hour-long service in Logan and final ceremony in Nelsonville was probably more than enough in Bartow’s mind.

“He was such an individual that didn’t want the glory so he was sitting there saying, ‘Enough is enough, go on home,’” Everhart said. “He’s not the type that would want to dwell on sorrow, he just wasn’t like that. It’s like, ‘Get yourself up, brush yourself off and get on with life.’ That’s exactly what he is saying right now, ‘It’s done, come on. You’ve got life to live, live it.’”

That living started with the drive home.

bjwilliams@lancastereaglegazette.com

Lancaster police officer among 3 dead in shooting

Lancaster police officer among 3 dead in shooting 

LANCASTER — A decorated Lancaster police officer who was off duty has been identified as the third person killed in a double murder-suicide early this morning, Lancaster police confirmed.

Officer Randy Bartow, 56, of Logan, a 19-year member of the police department, was killed, as well as Stephanie J. Adams, 38, and Kevin J. Adams, 40, both of Lancaster. All three were shot and killed at 196 Cleveland Ave. overnight, police said. Police Chief Dave Bailey said Kevin Adams is the suspected shooter.

Kelly Bosch, a neighbor and friend of the family, said the Adams’ were recently divorced, and that Kevin had arrived at Stephanie’s house late in the evening. Bartow was also at the house, and an argument ensued. Neighbors heard yelling, a scream and then a series of “pops,” Bosch said.

Bosch said that with a local bar only down the street, she initially didn’t put the shots and the sound of sirens together. She said she was surprised to see an ambulance and officers pull up to the house.

Call logs from the police department indicate that Stephanie Adams was one of the people who called 911. According to the log, there were screams and she kept yelling at “Kevin” to stop pointing a gun.

She gave the street, but not the house number, so officers were dispatched to the area.

Many neighbors said Adams had only been living in the neighborhood for a short period of time.

Court records showed that Stephanie Adams filed for dissolution in March, and it was granted in May.

They had been married since 1991, records show.

Lancaster Police responded after a report of shots fired and found a man and a woman dead inside the house, and another man wounded, all of gunfire, a press release issued this morning said. The second man was taken to Fairfield Medical Center and subsequently died of his injuries.

Bartow joined the Lancaster Police Department in 1993 after working with the Logan Police Department since 1978. He initially served as a detective, and transferred to the patrol division in 1999. He was named officer of the year by his fellow officers in 1999 and 2002 and won the Lancaster-Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce’s Markwood Award in 2003.

Stephanie Adams worked at Darfus Realty and at Rooster’s in Lancaster. Co-workers gathered this morning after learning of the devastating news. Brian Darfus, the sales manger at Darfus Realty, said Stephanie always brought a smile to her co-workers’ faces.

“She was always smiling,” said Darfus. “She ways always happy, even when her life was in turmoil.”


Darfus said Stephanie was a doting grandmother, and will be greatly missed by fellow employees and friends.

“She was much more than someone who worked with us,” he said.

The call came in at 1:20 a.m., and the second man died at about 2:24 a.m. Police are still on the scene and have part of the road blocked off for the investigation.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is assisting with the investigation.

Official: New York LI police officer among 2 dead

News | Official: New York LI police officer among 2 dead

UPDATE, Officer Identified
 
NEW YORK 
A Nassau County police officer was shot dead Tuesday -- the second time in less than a week an officer on the force was killed in the line of duty.

The officer killed Tuesday is Arthur Lopez of the Emergency Services Unit, sources said. Lopez and another person were fatally shot Tuesday on the Cross Island Parkway on the Queens/Nassau border, the sources said. It was unclear whether the slain civilian was a suspect in the eight-year veteran officer's death.

Lopez's slaying comes one day after the funeral of the other fallen officer, a Nassau highway patrolman who was struck and killed by an SUV on the Long Island Expressway on Thursday.

A suspect in Lopez's shooting was on the loose in Queens. Law enforcement sources said the suspect is being sought on the Nassau/Queens border in "a wide search area."

In addition to Nassau police and NYPD, federal law enforcement officers from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and U.S. marshals flocked to the scene to assist in the search.

NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said there is a possibility that the suspect involved in the police officer's shooting shot an individual in the vicinity of Hempstead Turnpike and the Cross Island.

"We found a body there with one bullet wound to the head," Kelly said.

Kelly said the shooting involving the fallen officer happened "at a location at 241st and Jamaica Avenue, which is in Nassau County." He said "we are in the process of gathering" information about the shooting, which happened after Nassau Police officers saw an accident take place and followed a vehicle that left the scene.

An FBI spokesman confirmed the bureau is assisting Nassau police and the NYPD in the investigation -- and a search for any potential suspects -- but stressed the incident is not terrorism related
.
Because of how close the crime was to the Queens/Nassau border, the offices of the district attorneys from both counties -- Richard Brown of Queens and Kathleen Rice of Nassau -- are discussing who will handle any prosecutions, said Kevin Ryan, a Brown spokesman.

Nassau County police officials have yet to provide an account of the incident, which occurred near the southbound entrance ramp to the parkway, near a Mobil gas station on Jamaica Avenue.

Brandon Ramos, 21, said he was at his father's kitchen and bath remodeling business across the street from the gas station when the shooting occurred.

"As I was walking upstairs, I heard a huge boom," Ramos said. "I ran outside and I saw a cop lying on the floor, on his back, and the other officer was administering CPR . . . He was shot in the chest. He was motionless. The other cop looked really distraught."

The Cross Island was closed in both directions because of police activity, according to the New York State Department of Transportation.

The department's website, informny.com, reported the closing near Jamaica Avenue at 11:33 a.m. in a traffic alert.

On Monday, law enforcement officers by the thousands came to Long Island for the funeral of the highway patrolman, Officer Joseph Olivieri, 43, a 13-year veteran who was struck and killed Thursday by a passing sport utility vehicle at the scene of an accident on the LIE.

Another Nassau County police officer was critically injured earlier this month when he was struck by a car in Lawrence while cracking down on speeders. The officer's condition has been upgraded from critical to serious, Shelley Lotenberg, spokeswoman for the Nassau University Medical Center, said Tuesday.

The officer, 57, was airlifted to the hospital with a fractured skull, pelvis and leg and internal bleeding after the Oct. 2 accident. Police declined to name the officer, but said he is a 29-year veteran with several awards, including two for saving lives.

Lopez is the fourth Nassau police officer to be killed in the line of duty in the previous 20 months.

Officer Geoffrey J. Breitkopf was fatally shot March 12, 2011, after being mistaken for an armed suspect by a Metropolitan Transportation Authority police officer in Massapequa Park. Breitkopf, 40, of Selden, was a member of the force's Bureau of Special Operations and was shot after a knife-wielding man had been killed at the scene by Nassau police.

A month earlier, police Officer Michael Califano was killed on the LIE when a flatbed truck struck his patrol vehicle during a traffic stop.

Tuesday Marks One Year Since Richmond County Deputy Killed In The Line Of Duty

Tuesday Marks One Year Since Richmond County Deputy Killed In The Line Of Duty  

Augusta, GA -- This week, marks the one year anniversary of the murder of Richmond County Deputy J.D. Paugh.

Paugh was gunned down while checking on a suspicious vehicle near the Bobby Jones Expressway and Gordon Highway interchange.

That interchange is now named after Paugh in honor of his memory, and a foundation has also been set up in his name.

The foundation helps provide new equipment for local law enforcement agencies and offer support for offices and their families.

The Augusta Museum of History has Deputy Paugh's service motorcycle on display in an exhibit for fallen Augusta officers.

FDLE expands Blue Alert program meant to find suspects in assaults on officers

FDLE expands Blue Alert program meant to find suspects in assaults on Officers www.palmbeachpost.com

By Alexandra Seltzer

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer 

When an off duty Miami Dade Police officer was shot in a robbery in September, law enforcement officers called on the public to help track down the three suspects.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued a Blue Alert.

The alert mimics that of the Amber Alert, which is used to help locate missing children, and Silver Alert, which is used to locate missing people who have dementia or Alzheimers.

It notifies nearby residents when a police officer is injured, shot or missing and provides suspect information to help the public aid in the search.

The program went into effect last year. This month however FDLE set up a website for the program and added email alerts.

“We hope it will never be used again. But it does provide law enforcement with another tool when they are looking for someone that meets the criteria of this case,” said FDLE spokesman Keith Kameg. “It’s just one tool but it’s a very good tool because when a scene is breaking, timeliness is everything.”

In the September incident, police arrested the three men the day after the shooting. The officer was treated at a hospital and released.

“We take any assault on anybody very seriously but when you’re talking about the protectors of society, that kind of knocks it up a level,” said FDLE Special Agent Supervisor David Gross.

After an officer is injured, shot or missing, local law enforcement works with FDLE to release suspect information to the media. The information is also issued by way of emergency broadcast system on television or the radio.

And as with the Silver Alert, which is in its fourth year, the Department of Transportation posts information on highway signs so drivers can watch for suspects.

“We wanted to make sure that it had the same formatting and the same visual blast would still captivate the audience enough to read it, and if they could render assistance and say ‘hey that car is right in front of me,’ ” Gross said. “We wanted continuity with the other alert systems.”

To sign up for the Florida Blue Alert: http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Content/News/Sign-up-for-Florida's-Blue-Alerts-Email.aspx

To sign up for the National Blue Alert: http://www.BlueAlert.us/alert_sign_up

Off-duty Prince George’s officer killed in car crash - The Washington Post

Off-duty Prince George’s officer killed in car crash - The Washington Post

An off-duty Prince George’s County police officer was killed in a crash in his marked cruiser Thursday afternoon, the second time this year that a county officer has been fatally injured in a traffic accident.

Officer Kevin Bowden, 28, had completed his work shift and was headed north on Branch Avenue about 3 p.m.

When his cruiser collided with a sport-utility vehicle near the intersection of Surratts Road, County Police Chief Mark Magaw said Thursday night. He said the impact of the crash forced Bowden’s cruiser into a utility pole.

Bowden was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Magaw said.

“He’s a fine officer,” Magaw said.

The woman driving the SUV also was injured, Magaw said, and was taken to a different hospital. Her injuries were not thought to be life-threatening, he said.

Magaw said some witnesses suggested that the officer had been cut off, although investigators have not reached any conclusions on what caused the accident.

Magaw said the officer, who had finished his shift at 1 p.m., had worked for the department for six years and was assigned to the Oxon Hill station. He was the father of a 10-year-old boy and a girl who is about 4, Magaw said.

Officers are permitted to take their cruisers home after their shifts.

At Southern Maryland Hospital Center on Thursday night, a woman’s cries could be heard from an area where officers and others had gathered. Dozens of officers and others formed a line and gave a salute as Bowden’s body was taken from the hospital to an ambulance.

“This is a tragedy,” said Vince Canales, president of the county police union. “It’s unfortunate. It’s very sad.”

County Public Safety Director Barry Stanton called Thursday “a sad day in Prince George’s County and the Police Department.”

Officers who knew Bowden remembered him as a steady, funny officer who loved his children and the Dallas Cowboys. Maj. George Nader, who once was Bowden’s shift commander in Oxon Hill, said Bowden was “one of the officers that loved the job.”

“Laid-back, happy kind of guy. Had a smile that would light up a room,” Nader said. “Everybody’s somber, somber right now. It’s like a one-two punch here.”

In August, Officer Adrian Morris, 23, who had been on the force for a little more than two years, was killed on Interstate 95 when he lost control of his police cruiser and crashed into a ravine while he and his partner were chasing suspects in an attempted car break-in.

In Bowden’s case, investigators are trying to determine whether the SUV had pulled into the officer’s path as the driver tried to get around a bus.

“Our county government, every community and every citizen of Prince George’s County grieves again this evening,” County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) said in a prepared release, asking the public “to keep Officer Bowden’s family and our law enforcement community in your thoughts and prayers.”

Joseph Olivieri, Nassau County Police Officer, Killed Responding To Long Island Expressway Accident

Joseph Olivieri, Nassau County Police Officer, Killed Responding To Long Island Expressway Accident

A Nassau County police officer was killed while responding to a multi-car collision on the Long Island Expressway in North Hills early Thursday morning.

The New York Post reports Joseph Olivieri was on foot when he was fatally struck by a vehicle attempting to drive around the accident site.

The initial crash may have involved a drunk driver.
Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice said in a statement, "I'm deeply saddened by our community's loss and my heart breaks for the officer's family, friends and colleagues.

What I can promise is that we will get to the bottom of exactly what happened this morning, and that we will continue to work tirelessly every day to protect those who risk their lives for the safety of our communities."

Several people were injured including the driver who hit Olivieri.

CBS reports 25 officers have been hit in the past ten years between Exits 35 and 41 on the expressway.
Olivieri is survived by his two children, 21-year-old Amanda and 18-year-old Daniel. Flags will fly half staff for the next 30 days.

No charges have been filed at this time but an investigation is ongoing.

Police suspend training after recruit dies in accident.

Police suspend training after recruit dies in accident


OKLAHOMA CITY — New information is emerging into the death of an Oklahoma City police recruit killed over the weekend during routine training.

The victim is identified as 38-year-old Kelley Chase.

For 15 years, most recently at Tinker Air Force Base, Chase served in the military.

When his position was eliminated, Chase sought a new job and joined the Oklahoma City Police Academy in May.

“I hope Kelley Chase is remembered as a young man who served his country faithfully,” Oklahoma City Police chaplain Greg Giltner said. “He would’ve made a good police officer and served the city very faithfully.”

Tragically, Chase never got the chance to work at a police officer.

The 38-year-old father of two died at the police training grounds after hitting his head on a padded mat during routine simulated combat with instructors.

Several recruits witnessed the injury as it happened.

“From what everyone saw, he didn’t hit his head with enough force to case such an injury,” OKC Police Capt. Dexter Nelson. “We don’t know what happened. It appears to be a freak accident.”

Capt.Nelson said the death is a sad first for the department.

“I don’t recall a death in the academy,” Capt. Nelson said. “People get hurt all the time but never to this extent to result in a death.”

Recruit Chase leaves behind a wife and two young children.

“His wife is absolutely at a loss,” Giltner said. “They have a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old. They have to go home without a dad. That’s a struggle.”

Police have suspended their self-defense training temporarily while the case is investigated.

Man who killed Kane County deputy to be sentenced this week | The Salt Lake Tribune

Man who killed Kane County deputy to be sentenced this week | The Salt Lake Tribune

Bert Harris often thinks about what he will say to the man who killed his brother.

"Probably about a million times," the southern Utah man said. "I haven’t narrowed it down yet."

This week Harris will have a chance to speak for his younger brother, Kane County Sheriff’s Deputy Brian Harris, who was shot and killed near the Utah-Arizona border in August 2010.

The two-day sentencing hearing for Scott Curley, 25, is scheduled to begin Thursday in Flagstaff, Ariz. Last month, Curley pleaded guilty to charges of murder, theft, burglary and aggravated assault. 

As part of the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to drop 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor for child pornography officials said they found on Curley’s computer.

He faces up to life in prison on the murder charge.

"We felt like the plea deal that they offered was good so that we didn’t have to go through the trial and bring everything back up," Bert Harris said. "We felt the plea deal got us everything we probably would have got out of the trial."

In August 2010, police in the border town of Fredonia, Ariz., called for help in arresting Curley, who was suspected of a burglary at a school there. The Kane County deputy responded. Harris and another officer tracked Curley on foot in the desert. Police said Curley waited with a high-powered rifle for the peace officers and fired at them when they walked over a hill.

The shooting sparked a massive manhunt for Curley. More than 300 police officers and federal agents searched the red rock and sagebrush for the shooter. Curley was caught in the early hours of the manhunt’s fifth day, trying to break into a home in Kanab with a rifle slung over his shoulder.

Coconino County Attorney Dave Rozema has said his office plans to present "powerful evidence" of the deputy’s "ambush assassination."

"We don’t want to see this man out where he could hurt someone else or ever be a danger to someone else," Bert Harris said. "We feel good about having him in there as long as possible."

Curley, whose legal proceedings had been delayed because of questions about his mental health, has admitted guilt to mental health experts, according to The Associated Press. Curley has reportedly described hiding under a tree and firing at someone who kept moving after Curley demanded he freeze.

"I’m guilty," he told one mental health expert who asked him about the possibility of a plea deal. "If I didn’t take an offer, I’d be a fool."

Curley’s mental state has been called into question, and his attorneys previously filed notice that they might use an insanity defense at trial. A judge, however, ruled earlier this year that Curley was competent.

Bert Harris agreed with the judge’s findings.

"Definitely he knew what he was doing," the man said, "and he had every intent to do what he did."

Efforts to reach Curley’s family were unsuccessful. The head of the Coconino County public defenders declined to comment.

The 6-foot-7 Brian Harris was big both physically and in his community, his older brother said. Harris, a 1987 graduate of Valley High School, was a Gulf War veteran. He served as the president of his local Lion’s Club for seven years, where his favorite task was organizing — and occasionally winning — the annual demolition derby, his brother said.

He was the third of his parents’ seven children. And the 41-year-old left behind a wife and two daughters of his own.

"Each day goes by and you still miss him, and you can’t replace him," Bert Harris said. "We’re still functioning, but there are areas of our lives that are still missing him and we still struggle. I know there will always be that because he was such a big part of all our lives."

Blue Alert Cancelled in CALIF: Jail Escapee Who Shot a LA Co. Deputy Arrested in Seattle

Jail Escapee Who Shot A Deputy in South El Monte Arrested

Darnell and Tania Washington, the husband and wife accused of attempted murder of a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy, have been arrested in Seattle, Wash., officials said Wednesday.

The two were taken into custody in King County, near Seattle, at 11 a.m. The suspects were reportedly driving a stolen vehicle when local authorities attempted to pull them over. The suspects refused to stop and King County deputies began a pursuit, which terminated with a collision by the duo, according to information released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The suspects were later positively identified as the husband and wife wanted in the Los Angeles and San Bernardino County areas.

ABC 7 news reported the stolen vehicle driven at the time was owned by a murder victim from the San Francisco area.

Darnell Washington reportedly escaped from the San Bernardino County Jail Aug. 28 with the help of his wife Tania. Just before 9 a.m. on Sept. 2, a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy from the Temple Station was fired on by Darnell with a shotgun after approaching the vehicle driven by the husband and wife in South El Monte, authorities said.

The two exchanged gunfire. The deputy was hit, but sustained non-life threatening injuries.

The couple escaped in a stolen vehicle, drove to the South Gate area where the stole another vehicle, officials said. The two were considered armed and dangerous.

Homicide detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department were en route to Seattle, officials said.

Getty Images: Border Patrol Agent Killed On Duty Buried In Utah

Getty Images: Border Patrol Agent Killed On Duty Buried In Utah

OREM, UT - OCTOBER 11: A program with the picture of U.S. Border Patrol agent Nicholas Ivie sits on a shelf as Border Patrol agents prepare to carry the casket containing the body of Nicholas Ivie as it arrives at his funeral on October 11, 2012 in Orem, Utah.

Ivie was shot to death as he was patrolling the U.S. Mexican border on October 2, 2012 near Naco, Arizona. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)

Worcester police mourn Peter Kneeland, officer disabled since 1991

Worcester police mourn Peter Kneeland, officer disabled since 1991

WORCESTER —  Retired Worcester Police Officer Peter Kneeland, who was severely injured while working a paid police detail on Cambridge Street on Sept. 18, 1991, died over the weekend. He worked 14 years as a police officer.

Mr. Kneeland, 62, had been in an institutional care setting but was constantly cared for by his mother, Susan, until her death in 2010. Since then, his brother, Timothy Kneeland, and sisters, Kathleen M. DelloStritto and Susan Carrigan, had taken over the care.

Peter Kneeland gets a kiss from his brother Timothy Kneeland during Peter's 60th birthday celebration in 2010. (T&G Staff/RICK CINCLAIR)

“This was a particularly heartbreaking incident 21 years ago,” said Deputy Police Chief Edward J. McGinn Jr. “It is quite possibly one of the worst nights in the history of the department. We're especially moved by the level of care and commitment that Peter's mother and siblings have shown him since the accident.”

The same night Mr. Kneeland was struck by a hit-and-run driver, another Worcester police officer was shot. The shooting was not fatal.

The driver who hit Mr. Kneeland was arrested days later and convicted of causing the accident.

Deputy Chief McGinn informed the department Monday of Mr. Kneeland's death. He said the retired officer's death came about as a direct result of a job-related incident. Mr. Kneeland was critically injured in the accident and had extensive head injuries.

“As a result of his injuries, Officer Kneeland lapsed into a condition that he never fully recovered from,” Deputy Chief McGinn wrote in his notification to personnel. “Even though alert and able to recognize his family and friends, Officer Kneeland's injures left him unable to speak and confined to a wheelchair. Officer Kneeland was never able to return to active work and officially retired in 1998.”

A wake and funeral have been planned, and Worcester police will send an honor guard.

In September 2010, family, friends and police attended a 60th birthday party for Mr. Kneeland inside Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center on Plantation Street. The retired officer sat in his wheelchair with a brand-new Worcester police baseball cap.

At the time of the party, Mr. Kneeland's family said his right arm area was paralyzed and he was unable to speak. During the party Mr. Kneeland appeared to react when names of certain officers were told to him.

“He's definitely aware of his surroundings,” Mrs. Carrigan, his sister, said at the time.

Collision seriously injured a deputy & killed the suspect

Collision seriously injured a deputy & killed the suspect  

(JESUP, Ga.)- A collision Monday night in Jesup injured a Wayne Co. Sheriff's deputy and killed the suspect the deputy was chasing. 

Sgt. Josh Kruger, 34, was critically injured when he was ejected from his cruiser at about 8:30 Monday night at the intersection of Walnut and Hickory Streets in Jesup.

The Georgia State Patrol reported that the suspect was traveling in a stolen car and would not stop for Sgt. Kruger.  A chase ensued.  The deputy took his cruiser down a street different from the one the suspect was on and when the suspect raced through a stop sign, the deputy's cruiser crashed into the suspect's driver's side door.  Also according to a GSP trooper, both cars left the road and overturned. 

"The deputy was ejected and the suspect's vehicle overturned and landed over top of the driver," said Trooper T. Brooks. of the Georgia State Patrol.

Sgt. Kruger was taken by ambulance to Memorial University Medical Center where he was last listed in critical, but stable condition.

The identity of the suspect has not yet been released.  He was pronounced dead at the hospital.  

Sheriff wants station named for deputy | FLORIDA TODAY

Sheriff wants station named for deputy | FLORIDA TODAY 

Brevard County Sheriff Jack Parker hopes to see the name of Deputy Barbara Pill on his new north precinct facility when it opens next year.

The sheriff will go before the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, asking them to name the new office after the deputy who was killed on duty in March. The building would be named the “Deputy Barbara A. Pill Law Enforcement Facility.”


In a request to the commissioners, Parker asked the facility be named “in honor of Deputy Barbara Pill who made the ultimate sacrifice and gave her life to protect the citizens of Brevard County.”


The deputy’s widower, Steve Pill, said he and his two sons plan to be at the commission meeting.


“It means a lot to us,” he said. “Her name is going to always be there.”


Both of the Pills’ sons now work for the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office; their youngest son previously worked for Melbourne Village Police Department but is now going through orientation with the sheriff’s office. Steve Pill said he doubts the commissioners would object to naming the facility after his wife.


“They still remember, and they want to remember,” he said. “It just shows me how far she was respected and the involvement that she had in the community.”


Barbara Pill, 52, was fatally shot on March 6 during a traffic stop while investigating a robbery reported at a Melbourne-area motel. She had worked more than 30 years in law enforcement and about 15 years in Brevard County.


“Our heroes are those who risk their lives every day to protect us and make our communities a better place, Deputy Pill is a sterling example of one of these heroes. Deputy Pill was beloved by all who knew her,” Parker’s request reads.


Before the March incident, it had been 18 years since a sheriff’s deputy was fatally shot while on duty.

As Brevard law enforcement officers and the community mourned the loss of Pill, they also began a series of efforts to memorialize the deputy.


“Barbara will be forever remembered as a (deputy) who gave everything she had to make Brevard County a safer place. She was a blessing to our agency and to all who had the honor of knowing her,” Parker’s proposal reads.


The $4 million sheriff’s north precinct facility is expected to open in 2013 and provide a home base for 60 to 80 patrol deputies. Last year, Parker approached the commissioners seeking funding to replace a prefabricated building set up as a temporary facility in the mid-90s.

The commissioners approved the funding, and an old state driver’s licensing facility was razed to allow for construction.


Brandon Bradley, the 22-year-old man who allegedly shot Pill, and 20-year-old Andria Kerchner, a woman in the vehicle at the time of the shooting, are both charged with murder and are being held in jail without bond.

Police officers face danger at every traffic stop

Police officers face danger at every traffic stop

It's 2 a.m.

No one is on the street and a man driving a car fails to stop for a stop sign at an intersection.

A police officer who sees the violation activates his warning lights and pulls the driver over a short distance away.

Although this seemingly harmless traffic stop could simply result in a traffic citation for the motorist, it could also turn violent and result in either injury or death to the police officer.

"Routine traffic stops do not exist anymore," Pottsville police Chief Joseph Murton V said.

Is the driver of the car wanted on outstanding warrants, was he or she fleeing from the scene of a crime, is there a mobile methamphetamine lab in the vehicle or does the person simply have psychiatric issues?

With these unanswered questions, police officers often receive backup from other officers during these mostly harmless encounters, the chief said.

"It's all about officer safety," Murton said. "These stops can be benign situations or they can turn into a terrible tragedy."

Less than a month ago, a police officer in Montgomery County was shot and killed after chasing a speeding motorist.

The driver of that car, for one reason or another, shot and killed Plymouth Township police Patrolman Bradley Fox on Sept. 13 and also shot his K-9 Officer, Nick.

Fox was investigating a three-vehicle crash when an SUV drove by at a high rate of speed.

Montgomery County prosecutors said Fox pursued the vehicle and after the SUV struck another vehicle, he found it abandoned.

Fox and his dog pursued the driver on foot and called for backup, but responding officers found Fox's body, he had been shot in the head.

The officer's dog was also shot but survived, prosecutors said.

Murton said that in this situation, one would think the driver may have been fleeing because he could be under the influence or driving with a suspended license.

Why the driver shot and killed the officer may never be known because he committed suicide shortly after the murder.

"You have no idea what's in the mind of the person you stop," Murton said.

Since most communities, as well as state police, usually have one police officer or trooper assigned to a car at a time, having another unit at the scene acts as a deterrent for the person to commit an assault on the officer who conducted the stop.

"It's a show of force, we back each other up," Murton said. "A person seeing two officers instead of one may think twice before doing something crazy."

Situations that escalate during traffic stops often do so spontaneously and end with results that usually are not good.

"Spontaneity and violence always end in disaster," the chief said.

Murton said that if a city officer pulls over a vehicle, it is common practice for another officer who is in the vicinity to go to that area for backup, needed it or not.

One such spontaneous and violent incident occurred during the early morning hours of Sept. 8 in Mahanoy City.

Borough police Lt. John Kazmarczyk pulled over a car for running a stop sign about 3 a.m. and found a passenger inside who was wanted as a fugitive from New Jersey.

Kaczmarczyk stopped a vehicle and asked William Perez, Mahanoy City, for identification. Perez presented the lieutenant with a New York identification card that, when run through the computer, determined he was wanted in both Bergen County, N.J., and Montgomery County, Pa.

The officer asked Perez to exit his vehicle and informed him that he was under arrest on the warrants. When instructed to place his hands on the roof of his car, Perez began to pull away and flee while being placed in handcuffs. A struggle ensued and after the man tried to get away, three more times Kaczmarczyk was able to get him to the ground where Perez ignored orders to stop and continued to fight.

Kaczmarczyk said he was unable to get the handcuffs on Perez, forcing him to call for backup that eventually came in the form of an off-duty officer who happened to be driving by.

Perez was taken into custody and both Kaczmarczyk and the other officer escaped injury.

"This is the type of incident that can happen and having another officer there could mean the difference between life and death," Minersville police Chief Michael Combs said.

In Minersville, the chief said when one officer makes a traffic stop, another officer will be there as well, provided that officer is not tied up on another call.

"You always go just for the safety issue," Combs said.

"If something goes bad, you have two officers there," the chief said. "In Minersville, I would expect that whenever possible, there will be another officer coming."

Combs said that national statistics show that in 2011, there were 150 police officers assaulted, resulting in 77 of those killed.

Ten of the officers shot during that same period were shot during traffic stops, he said.

"I'd rather be safe than sorry," Combs said.

Police identify trooper killed while directing traffic in Doswell

Andrew D. Fox

Police identify trooper killed while directing traffic in Doswell

Virginia State Police have identified a trooper from Pulaski County who was killed Friday night when he was struck by an SUV while directing traffic near King's Dominion and the State Fair of Virginia.

Trooper Andrew D. Fox was directing traffic that was leaving the theme park and the fair at 9:53 p.m. when he was struck by a 1992 Jeep Cherokee that was travelling east through the intersection of state Route 30 and Theme Park Way, Virginia State Police said.

Troopers and several bystanders lifted the SUV off of Fox and started administering CPR and first aid, police said. He was transported to VCU Medical Center, where he died.

Neither the driver of the Cherokee, who state police described as an adult female from Doswell, or a juvenile passenger in the vehicle were injured, police said. The state police have not released the names of the vehicle's occupants.

Police said the intersection was controlled by flashing-yellow traffic lights and that Fox, who was working a special assignment at the State Fair, was wearing a safety vest and using illumninated, baton flashlights to direct traffic through the intersection.

Police said alcohol was not a factor in the crash. The investigation is ongoing and charges are pending consultation with the Hanover County Commonwealth's Attorney, police said.

Police Chief: Officer Dies From Injuries of Brutal Beating | KDBC | Local 4 News

Officer Jonathan Molina

Police Chief: Officer Dies From Injuries of Brutal Beating | KDBC | Local 4 News

EL PASO — El Paso Police Officer Jonathan Molina died Friday morning from injuries sustained after being assaulted in Central El Paso last week, police said.

Police said Molina was attacked after he spotted an alleged act vandalism on his car by three teenagers and spent about 10 days in the hospital in critical condition.

"His dedication to his community and his service will be sorely missed," said Police Chief Greg Allen at a press conference.

Molina was attacked on the the afternoon of September 25.

Police said Molina confronted the teens about damage to his car prior to the alleged assault.

According to a police affidavit, Molina identified himself as an officer and that's when Juan Gonzalez, 17, slammed him headfirst into the concrete knocking him unconscious, while the other members of the group watched.

In the affidavit, Gonzalez continued to beat Molina, hitting him in the face and head and all three group members ran off when witnesses came to help.

Gonzalez and Alan Medrano, 19, were later arrested. Gonzalez faces new charges.

"The department at this point in time has re-filed the charges against this individual in this particular case and we are charging the suspect with capital murder," Allen said.

Molina was a 4-year veteran of the EPPD and had also served in the Marine Corp.

Gonzalez remains at county jail under a $5 million bond.

Mayor Bloomberg calls on state to deny parole for killers of Officer Eddie Byrne

Officer Eddie Byrne

Mayor Bloomberg calls on state to deny parole for killers of Officer Eddie Byrne 

Mayor Bloomberg called on the state parole board to not free the four men who killed a Queens cop more than 20 years ago.

The four men convicted of the 1988 assassination of Officer Eddie Byrne — slain while protecting a witness in a drug case during the height of the city’s crack wars — will get their first parole hearings in Albany Friday.



The men are serving 25-year-to-life sentences — and Bloomberg said their punishment was not over yet.

“It would be a gross abuse of justice if those who committed a premeditated assassination of a police officer are allowed to walk free,” Bloomberg told the board in a letter sent Tuesday, but released Thursday.

“The crime still resonates in our city — not only in the hearts and minds of those who loved Officer Byrne, but in the millions of people who remember his story.”

Byrne, who had just turned 22, was sitting alone in a marked NYPD squad car, guarding the house of a witness in a case against drug kingpin Howard (Pappy) Mason.

Mason was in jail when he ordered four men — Philip Copeland, Todd Scott, Scott Cobb and David McClary — to kill a cop, authorities believe. Mason is now doing life without parole at a maximum-security facility in Colorado.

The goons drove up to Byrne’s parked car on 107th Ave. and Inwood St. in Jamaica, where McClary opened fire through the driver’s window and hit Byrne five times in the head.

Bloomberg said the men responsible for the brazen murder deserve to stay in the clink for the life they took away.

“Officer Byrne, only 22 years old, was robbed of a life that was so full of promise,” Bloomberg said.

“Today, he would be only 47 years old — still in the prime of his life. We can only imagine what the years would have brought him — perhaps marriage and children. Those joyous occasions were taken from him and from his family.”

Later, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly echoed Bloomberg’s comments.

"Quite frankly, I don't think we should ever grant parole to anybody found guilty of killing a police officer in the line of duty,” said Kelly.

The top cop, who was a deputy chief at the time of the killing, said the assassination of Byrne “had an extremely traumatic affect on the department because of the way it happened.”

“This was premeditated and it was meant to send a signal to society in general, not only the police department,” he said. “It made a permanent difference in the way we policed."

Kelly said the NYPD formed tactical narcotics teams after Byrne’s death that “gave police resolve to go after drug operations even more.”

State Trooper, 48, killed in collision with semi-truck in Beaver County

Trooper Blake T. Coble

State Trooper, 48, killed in collision with semi-truck

SOUTH BEAVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. —

A Pennsylvania State Trooper was killed in a two-vehicle crash Thursday morning in Beaver County.


According to police, a semi-truck collided with the trooper's cruiser just after 10 a.m. near the intersection of Route 168 and Blackhawk Road in South Beaver Township.

Channel 11’s Amy Marcinkiewicz reported that Trooper Blake T. Coble was taken to Beaver County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Marcinkiewicz reported that Coble was a 20 year veteran of the force who was married with two kids.

State police commissioner Frank Noonan released a statement saying, "It is with a very heavy heart and a deep sense of sadness that I announce the tragic death of Trooper First Class Blake T. Coble of Troop D, Beaver Station."

Trooper Coble, age 48, had been a member of the Pennsylvania State Police since Nov. 1, 1988.

Trooper Coble has two children and his wife, Brenda, is a Police Communications Operator at Troop D, Beaver Station.

His untimely death left two children without a father and a wife without her husband, plus countless friends and family members grieving.  He died serving the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the men and women of the Pennsylvania State Police mourn his loss and extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends."

Coble was the 94^th member of Pennsylvania state police to be killed in the line of duty.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Funeral today for SQ officer killed in crash - Montreal - CBC News

Funeral today for SQ officer killed in crash - Montreal - CBC News

The private funeral for a 23-year-old Sûreté du Québec officer killed while responding to an emergency call last week will be held today in Laval.

Const. Katia Hadouchi died on Sept. 26 after she lost control of the patrol car she was driving near Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare in Lanaudière.


 
Const. Katia Hadouchi, 23, joined the provincial police in May 2010. She was alone in the vehicle and responding to a call at the time of the crash.

The cause of the crash hasn't been released, but police pulled more than 100 vehicle off the road in the days following the fatal accident after realizing the patrol cars were the subject of a manufacturer's recall due to suspension problems. The recall was preventative and the service was not required to pull them, the SQ said.

Investigators have not concluded that vehicle failure was to blame for the fatal crash.

Hadouchi's visitation and funeral ceremony will take place at the Laval convention centre this afternoon.

She joined the provincial police in May 2010. She was assigned to the MRC Matawinie branch in Rawdon, Que., a short time later.

Mexican troops arrest 2 in killing of U.S. border agent - World News

Mexican troops arrest 2 in killing of U.S. border agent - World News

MEXICO CITY -- Mexican troops have arrested two suspects in the killing of a U.S. Border Patrol agent and the wounding of a second officer in Arizona, Mexican security officials said on Wednesday.

The two suspects were detained in a Mexican military operation in the city of Agua Prieta, in Mexico's northern Sonora state, a few miles from the spot where Nicholas Ivie was shot dead early on Tuesday while responding to a tripped ground sensor, a Mexican Army officer, who declined to be named, told Reuters.

Nicholas Ivie

Ivie was among three agents who were patrolling on foot about five miles north of the international border when gunfire erupted. A second agent was also wounded while the third, a woman, was unharmed.

The agents had been patrolling in an area near the border town of Naco, well-known as a corridor for smuggling, and the Cochise County Sheriff's department has said that tracks were found heading south after the shooting.

Ivie was a 30-year-old father of two who grew up in Utah and was active in the Mormon Church. He had been an agent for four years.

A Mexican police official in Naco, across the border from the Arizona town of the same name, confirmed the arrests, which occurred in the early hours of Wednesday.

U.S. officials refused to comment on the report of the arrests to NBC News.

It was the first fatal shooting of an on-duty Border Patrol agent since December 2010, when Brian Terry was killed in a shootout with bandits near the border. Terry's shooting was later linked to the government's "Fast and Furious" gun-smuggling operation, which allowed people suspected of illegally buying guns for others to walk away from gun shops with weapons, rather than be arrested.

Two Border Patrol agents were killed last year in an accident during a car chase with smugglers near Phoenix.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Border Agent in Shooting Released from Hospital

Border Agent in Shooting Released from Hospital  

NACO, Ariz –  Federal investigators are scouring the border looking for clues in the fatal shooting of a Border Patrol agent as a nationwide manhunt for the killer continues.

Nicholas Ivie and a colleague were on patrol in the desert near Naco, about 100 miles from Tucson, when gunfire broke out shortly before 2 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Border Patrol.

Nicholas Ivie

Ivie, 30, was killed. The other agent, whose name hasn't been released, was released from the hospital after being shot in the ankle and buttocks.

It was the first fatal shooting of an agent since a deadly 2010 firefight with Mexican bandits that spawned congressional probes of a botched government gun-smuggling investigation.

SUMMARY

The last Border Patrol agent fatally shot on duty was Brian Terry, who died in a shootout with bandits near the border in December 2010. The Border Patrol station in Naco, where the two agents shot Tuesday were stationed, was recently named after Terry.

No arrests have been made. Authorities suspect that more than one person fired at the agents.

No weapons have been found, according to a federal law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because information on the search hasn't been publicly released.

Agents and deputies were searching the area on ATVs, horseback and on foot with up to four helicopters overhead in the southern foothills of the Mule Mountains that's considered a known smuggling area.

"It's been a long day for us but it's been longer for no one more than a wife whose husband is not coming home. It's been longer for two children whose father is not coming home, and that is what is going to strengthen our resolve" to find those responsible and enforce the law, said Jeffrey Self, commander of Customs and Border Protection's Arizona joint field command.

Ivie lived in Sierra Vista with his wife and their two young daughters.

President Barack Obama called Ivie's family Tuesday to offer condolences and to express his gratitude for Ivie's "selfless service to his nation," a White House statement said.

Obama made it clear that the administration "was doing everything it could to locate those responsible."

The last Border Patrol agent fatally shot on duty was Brian Terry, who died in a shootout with bandits near the border in December 2010. The Border Patrol station in Naco, where the two agents shot Tuesday were stationed, was recently named after Terry.

Terry's shooting was later linked to the government's "Fast and Furious" gun-smuggling operation, which allowed people suspected of illegally buying guns for others to walk away from gun shops with weapons, rather than be arrested.

Authorities intended to track the guns into Mexico. Two rifles found at the scene of Terry's shooting were bought by a member of the gun-smuggling ring being investigated.

Critics of the operation say any shooting along the border now raises the specter that those illegal weapons are still being used in border violence.

"There's no way to know at this point how the agent was killed, but because of Operation Fast and Furious, we'll wonder for years if the guns used in any killing along the border were part of an ill-advised gun-walking strategy," Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley said in a statement.

The Terry family said that the shooting was a "graphic reminder of the inherent dangers that threaten the safety of those who live and work near the border."

Authorities set up a checkpoint on a dirt road about seven miles southeast of Bisbee. Border Patrol agents at the checkpoint declined to comment and barred reporters from going further.

The agents were fired upon in a rugged hilly area about five miles north of the border as they responded to an alarm that was triggered on one of the sensors, said sheriff's spokeswoman Carol Capas. It wasn't immediately known whether the agents returned fire, she said.

The Border Patrol said Ivie worked for the agency since January 2008 and grew up in Provo, Utah. He worked as an emergency medical technician before joining the Border Patrol, said his brother-in-law, Todd Davis. He served a two-year mission with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mexico City after high school.

Davis said Ivie's desire to help others, and his love of the outdoors and riding horses led him to the Border Patrol, where he served on the horse patrol unit.

"Nick always tried to help others. He was a very selfless man with his family, with his friends, in anything he did," Davis said. "You know the risk but you pray this day would never happen."

Twenty-six Border Patrol agents have died in the line of duty since 2002.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.