Police Storm Church in Pursuit of Cop-Killer (AP)

by Jordan Yerman | May 20, 2007 at 10:27 am

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The neighborhood was cordoned off as the shooter fled the courthouse in which he had opened fire; the shooter then fled to a church across the street after firing at police officers outside the courthouse, hitting two civilians and one police officer, who later died from the injuries.

Law enforcement officers stormed a church Sunday where a shooter hid after killing a police officer and wounding two people in a courthouse ambush, finding the body of the likely gunman and another man, police said.

Authorities initally reported three people were wounded, two of them police officers. One of the officers died later, police said.

The name of the officer killed was not immediately released.

The shooting began late Saturday and wounded a civilian as well, said David Duke, Moscow's assistant police chief. Duke said the attack was apparently an ambush, with the shooter firing into the Latah County Courthouse to lure people into the line of fire. A total of 75 shots were fired, he said.

Shortly after 6 a.m., three SWAT teams entered the First Presbyterian Church and found the two bodies on the main floor, Duke said. A semiautomatic rifle, ammunition and spent shells were found with one of the men, he said.

"We believe one of those is our shooter," Duke said. Authorities said they did not know the identities of either man.

Police did not know the motive of the shooter and did not believe he had a specific target in mind, Duke said.

A hail of more than 30 bullets struck the Latah County Courthouse shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday, ripping through the dispatch center, Duke said. No one was injured, and officers rushed out of the building.

"Whoever the shooter is wanted to draw people to the courthouse," Duke said. "When officers responded, he did open fire on them."

A Moscow police officer was shot first, followed by a Latah County sheriff's deputy who came to his aid. The civilian was struck after that, Duke said. Their conditions were not revealed, although the civilian was apparently in surgery, Duke said.

"He was just shooting at anybody he could," Duke said. "We believe the shots were from a high area, based on where the victims were shot."

Officers surrounded the church, which is across the street from the courthouse and nestled in a residential neighborhood near downtown and Moscow High School. A final shot was heard from inside the church about 1 a.m. Sunday, Duke said.

Duke would not say if the shooter committed suicide. The two bodies were not in the same room.