By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• A Le Flore County, Oklahoma, sheriff’s deputy was killed and a police chief wounded after a man opened fire on officers responding to a welfare check Sunday, authorities said.
• The shooting occurred near U.S. Highway 270 in Wister when deputies, Wister Police and other agencies arrived at a residence and were immediately fired upon.
• An exchange of gunfire led to an hours-long standoff; the suspect barricaded himself inside the home before eventually surrendering.
• Le Flore County Sheriff’s Deputy Thomas “Walker” LeMay was pronounced dead at the scene; Wister Police Chief Andy Thompson was hospitalized in stable condition.
• The suspect, identified as 36-year-old Edgar Lara, was taken into custody and booked; the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation continues its inquiry.
WISTER, OK — A Le Flore County sheriff’s deputy was killed and a Wister police chief was wounded Sunday afternoon after a suspect opened fire on law enforcement officers responding to a welfare check east of Wister, Oklahoma, authorities said.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said deputies with the Le Flore County Sheriff’s Office, officers from the Wister Police Department and other agencies arrived at a residence along U.S. Highway 270 about 11 a.m. for a welfare call when the suspect fired on them.
An exchange of gunfire ensued and the armed suspect barricaded himself inside the home, prompting a standoff that lasted several hours as additional law enforcement units, including the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, responded to the scene.
Le Flore County Sheriff’s Deputy Thomas “Walker” LeMay was killed during the shooting, and Wister Police Chief Andy Thompson was struck by gunfire and taken to a hospital, where he was reported in stable condition.
The suspect, identified as 36-year-old Edgar Lara, eventually surrendered and was taken into custody; he was treated for minor injuries and booked into the Le Flore County Jail, and the OSBI is investigating the incident.