What I know. The team knocked and announced. They waited for an answer and when there was no answer they forced entry. Upon entering the residence they were attacked.
OGDEN — One of six police officers shot Wednesday night while serving a drug related search warrant has died.
Agent Jared Francom with the Ogden Police Department for seven years, died as a result of his injuries. The seven-year veteran of the police department is survived by a wife and two young children.
"It's a very, very sad day for all," said Ogden Interim Police Chief Wayne Tarwater.
Francom and other members of the Weber-Morgan Narcotics Strike Force were attempting to serve a warrant about 8:40 p.m. at 3268 Jackson Ave. when a gun battle erupted.
Six officers and the alleged gunman were shot. The conditions of the five other injured officers range from serious to critical, according to a statement from the Ogden Police Department.
Officers injured
•Nate Hutchinson, Weber Co. Sheriff's Office
•Jason Vanderworf, Roy Police Dept.
•Shawn Grogan, Ogden Police Dept.
•Kasey Burrell, Ogden Police Dept.
•Michael Rounkles, Ogden Police Dept.
"This is a family. This is a law enforcement family. The law enforcement community is mourning," an emotional Tarwater said Thursday.
"We will grieve this loss, knowing officer Francom laid down his life for his friends and his community," added Weber County Sheriff Terry Thompson.
Those injured were officers Shawn Grogan, Kasey Burrell, Weber County Sheriff's Sgt. Nate Hutchinson, Michael Rounkles and agent Jason Venderworf.
The gunman, Matthew David Stewart, 37, suffered non-life threatening injuries, according to police.
Officers were serving a "knock and announce search warrant, meaning officers entered after announcing their presence," Tarwater said.
Witnesses said they heard three quick pops followed by a two to three minute pause, then more gunfire.
"I was sitting in the front room watching TV, heard three pops. My fiancé asked if they were fireworks. I said, 'No, those are gunshots,'" said resident Clayton Payne. "I ran out here to see what was going on and I was escorted back to my house by the cops. They said, ‘Get in your house. Get down.'"
Officer Jared Francom
Stewart was arrested in a nearby shed.
Asked Thursday what charges Stewart likely faces, Weber County Attorney Dee Smith — fighting back tears — said, "We have an officer who is deceased. ... Until we have the investigation completed, I'm not going to say exactly what he's facing, but we have an aggravated murder as well as a bunch of attempted aggravated murders."
Officers prepared
Darin Parke, commander of the Weber-Morgan task force, said it's common to send up to 12 officers to serve a search warrant. It's also standard procedure for task force members to wear protective vests in such situations.
Tarwater said as far as he knows, the officers who were shot were wearing vests.
A woman who claims she is a family member of the fallen officer told KSL's Doug Wright Thursday morning that task force members were highly-trained for such situations. She said the family was told Wednesday night that the suspect may be former military and was armed with an automatic weapon and a handgun.
Investigators did not confirm the details the woman offered. However, Stewart's father, Michael Stewart, told the Deseret News his son is a decorated war veteran.
ABC News Crime and Terrorism Consultant Brad Garrett told KSL Newsradio it's always a risk when officers move in to serve a warrant. "Even the best-laid plans can go awry. I don't know what their plans were, but this clearly went so sideways," he said.
Hospital responds to emergency
When McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden learned that four of the injured officers were being rushed there Wednesday night, doctors and nurses were immediately called in from home to help.
Hospital spokesman Chris Dallin said, "Whenever there is a big lump of patients, we have a protocol as an emergency department to respond to that."
After the injured officers arrived, more Ogden police officers began showing up at the hospital. In fact, law enforcement from several jurisdictions came to the emergency room to show their support for the wounded officers. They, too, had to wait, as hospital officials are not giving any specific information about the injuries or conditions.
"I can confirm we have four patients, victims from a shooting in downtown Ogden," Dallin said. "All four of the victims are police officers."
McKay-Dee is a level two trauma center, meaning a wide range of specialist is available around the clock. Still, four patients being treated for gunshot wounds at the same time is a challenge for any hospital.
"We have a great team of folks," Dallin said. "We understand they are doing a great job with the patients."
Two other officers were taken to Ogden Regional Medical Center. One of them was in stable condition and doing well Wednesday night. The other was in critical condition.
Stay with ksl.com, KSL TV and KSL Newsradio for the latest on this developing story
This was a knock and announce warrant at a suspected drug house. The owner/subject of warrant/gunman, Matthew David Stewart, 37 had a limited non-violent criminal history consisting of a few misdemeanors. He has non-life threatening injuries.
One of the wounded officers has a superficial injury, two are critical, and two are near death. The weapon type based on witness accounts may have been an automatic rifle but this has yet to be determined by an investigation.
EDIT - Replaced initial article with article from a different source with more information.
