PROVO, Utah (AP) - The Provo Police Department has said a police officer and a suspect were both shot during a gunfire exchange in an apartment complex on Thursday.
Police Chief Rich Ferguson reported that Officer John Oseguera, who has been with the department for two years, was shot twice and also suffered injuries to his head caused by shrapnel, the Deseret News reported.
Ferguson said he was still able to walk out of the building on his own. Oseguera was listed in stable condition at a hospital late Thursday.
“I’m angry. I’m proud, and I’m concerned. Those are my emotions right now,” Ferguson said during a news conference. “His wife is in shock, but she’s handling it well. We have a team that’s with her. … The officer actually called her on the way to the hospital and told her he loved her.”
The suspected shooter, who was not identified, was also hospitalized. Police did not immediately release information about his condition. No other injuries were reported.
Provo Police Sgt. Nisha King said the shooting occurred after officers responded to reports of a man with a gun acting “erratically” and that a window was shot out.
Ferguson said arriving officers encountered the man, who retreated inside his home and began shooting at officers who then returned fire. Ferguson said the man had “at least two automatic weapons.”
It is unclear what prompted the man’s behavior.
Utah County Attorney David Leavitt announced Thursday that the shooting will be investigated by the Utah County OICI Protocol Team and headed by the Utah County sheriff’s office.
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