1 deputy killed, another wounded in Oklahoma City
OKLAHOMA CITY (NewsNation) — An Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office deputy is dead and another was wounded Monday at a home on the southwest side of Oklahoma City, authorities said.
Sgt. Bobby Swartz was shot and killed while serving eviction paperwork at the home with the other deputy, the Sheriff’s Office said. The other officer, who has not been identified, was also shot and was being treated at a hospital.
Sheriff Tommie Johnson said the two deputies were serving “lock-out papers,” which is part of the eviction process, when one of the deputies went to the back door of the home and was shot. The second deputy was shot as he attempted to pull the first deputy to safety, Johnson said.
A suspect in the shooting was taken into custody following a short vehicle chase, said Oklahoma City police Sgt. Dillon Quirk. The suspect has been identified as Benjamin Plank, according to NewsNation affiliate KFOR. He was booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center on suspicion of first-degree murder, shooting with intent to kill, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and use of a vehicle in discharge of a weapon.
According to scanner traffic, the suspect began firing at officers out of the vehicle’s window once he was spotted by police on I-35.
The suspect eventually exited the interstate and stopped at the gate of Tinker Air Force Base. He was not able to get past the guards and enter Tinker, which is when he was taken into custody.
Capt. Valerie Littlejohn of the Oklahoma City Police Department said it was unclear why the suspect drove to or surrendered at Tinker. Nobody was wounded during the chase, and police found a rifle in the suspect’s possession, Littlejohn said.
Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Aaron Brilbeck said both deputies were veteran officers who had over 20 years of experience on the force.
The Associated Press and NewsNation affiliate KFOR contributed to this report.