Two Officers Dead in West Memphis, One of Them is Son of Police Chief

A sad day for law enforcement in West Memphis, TN:

Two West Memphis police officers have been shot and killed near a busy interstate highway and media accounts say two suspects also have been shot and killed.

1 of the dead officers is the son of the West Memphis police chief. The Commercial Appeal newspaper of Memphis, Tenn., said two Crittenden County sheriff’s deputies were wounded when they exchanged gunfire with the suspects in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

The newspaper and TV station WMC reported that the two suspects were killed.

Police chief Bob Paudert said his son Brandon was 1 of the officers killed. The other dead officer is Bill Evans. The chief said the officers had pulled over a vehicle with an Ohio license plate along Interstate 40.

Reports indicate the suspects are Hispanic, but no word on legal status.

There was another shooting this morning involving police officers not far from where I live, but in this case only the bad guy was hit:

A man wanted in a child molestation investigation was shot as police attempted to serve a warrant Thursday morning, authorities said.

The shooting occurred in front of Marian Bergeson Elementary School near Rancho Niguel Road and Greenfield Drive. The school was placed on a lockdown, which has since been lifted.

Sheriff's deputies secure the shooting scene during an investigation after a suspect wanted in a child molestation investigation was shot as police attempted to serve a warrant Thursday morning.

The sheriff's department was called about the shooting at 9:47 a.m.

A task force of police from Brea and Anaheim attempted to contact a suspect for whom they had a $1 million arrest warrant for child molestation, said Jim Amormino, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

The man ran from the Milano condo complex across Rancho Niguel Road, Amormino said. Officers pursued the man across the street, where the officer-involved shooting occurred in front of the school, Amormino said.

The man was shot an unknown number of times, Amormino said. He was taken to Mission Hospital, he said.

The man, 44, was suspected in a molestation that occurred in Yorba Linda, Amormino said.

We should always be grateful for the men and women who are willing to put it all on the line for us.