Local police grieve over the loss of 4 Washington officers

 

BOISE --  Ada County will be sending one or two deputies to attend the funerals of the four slain officers in Lakewood, Washington. 

Deputies and troopers from all over the country are expected to be there.  While their hearts go out to the families of the victims, local deputies and officers say the ambush in Washington is also a reminder  of just how dangerous their jobs can be.

"We're always trained to be prepared for situations.  When we go on domestic violence calls, and things like that, we know there's a threat of violence and we're more prepared for it," says Ada County Sheriff Gary Raney. 

But Raney says the shooting in Washington was different.  The four officers were specifically targeted, ambushed, for no apparent reason at all.  That, he says, is what is so troubling to local officers.

"Who knows what could have possessed this guy to do such a thing. We see horrible things everyday in the community but this is just beyond comprehension in many ways," said Raney.

And it's a reminder of what happened 11 years ago in Coeur d'Alene.  Trooper Linda Huff was gunned down outside the office of the Idaho State Patrol.  She was shot more than 10 times.  Detectives say the suspect simply wanted to kill a police officer.  Like the officers in Washington, Huff was targeted for being a law enforcement officer, and she was not responding to a call when she was shot.

"We think of their families and we put ourselves in their shoes so to speak because of what we do.  We know they do the same thing as us and vice versa," said Ada County Deputy Ron Love.  

Just last month investigators say two Idaho State Police troopers, Corporal Jon Vance and Sergeant Chris Duggan, were deliberately hit while patrolling Interstate 84.   Detectives say 29-year-old David Paul Turnovec intentionally crashed his truck into the troopers, who were on their motorcycles in the median.  Three hours earlier, Turnovec was pulled over by law enforcement and given a speeding ticket.

"It's just a reminder to us that there are people out there who want to do violence, not only to the community, but violence upon the deputies, officers, and troopers," said Raney.

Just like officers from all across the Northwest showed their support for fallen officers in Idaho, Raney says it's our time now to lend a helping hand to the families of the victims in Washington.

"The family that's left, making sure that they know that even though we may not have known those officers personally, that this is a brotherhood of service to the community and law enforcement," said Raney.

We checked on the conditions of the two Idaho State Police troopers targeted on Interstate 84 on Oct. 22.

A spokesperson for the department says Vance returned to service a couple of weeks ago.  But Duggan is still out, recovering from his injuries.   ISP says Duggan took the brunt of the impact from the collision.  He was in serious condition after the crash and suffered a broken right leg.