Sergeant. Jim Smith died Friday as he tried to enter the house where the man had barricaded himself at the Grundy Center, Iowa, Bayens said. Grundy Center is located about 80 miles northeast of Des Moines.
“Last night, Iowa State Patrol Officer Jim Smith died like a hero,” Bayens told a news conference. “He sacrificed himself by protecting others.”
Mitch Mortvedt, of the Iowa Criminal Investigation Division, identified the suspect as Michael Thomas Lang, 41, of the Grundy Center.
Lang is being held on a $ 1 million cash bail and charged with a first-degree murder charge, according to an affidavit.
Lang allegedly assaulted the officer during the traffic stop
Lang got out of his vehicle and assaulted the officer, disarming him from the taser and radio before placing him in a safe place, Mortvedt said during the press conference.
Another police officer arrived at the scene and told Lang to raise his hands, to which Lang replied, “Come get me,” before returning to his vehicle and fleeing to his home.
Then several police agencies went home, along with Lang’s father, who told officers who responded that his son had several firearms, Mortvedt said.
Smith was part of an entry team that entered the house and was killed by Lang, according to Mortvedt.
Mortvedt said the state soldier was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead by a single bullet wound.
Later, a tactical team from the Iowa State Patrol entered the residence with an armored transport and was killed on several occasions by Lang, according to Mortvedt.
Three members of the tactical team fired back and Lang was beaten several times before being arrested, Mortvedt told reporters. He is in critical condition after being operated on at a hospital, according to Mortvedt.
CNN has not been able to determine if Lang has legal representation.
“Smith was a guardian of justice,” Bayens says
Smith leaves behind a wife and two children, according to a statement Saturday from Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.
He is the second soldier to be shot and killed in the service since 1936, according to a statement from the Iowa State Patrol.
Reynolds will order that the flags in Iowa be thrown at half-staff on the day of Smith’s funeral, according to his office statement.
“It is with great sorrow that we recognize the loss of the Iowa State Patrol Sergeant. Jim Smith, a brave hero who died in the line of duty,” Reynolds said in the statement. “Sergeant Jim Smith was a loving husband, father of two and a pillar of the community. I, along with the entire state of Iowa, mourn his family and friends as they try to cope with this devastating loss. Today we are once again reminded of the selfless sacrifices that brave men and women make in uniform. We never forget their courage and that of their loved ones. “
Bayens named Smith was a friend, brother, son, husband, father and “protector of the innocent.”
“Sergeant. Jim Smith was a guardian of justice. Sergeant. Jim Smith was a man of God,” Bayens said, choking.
“We’re hurting. We’re angry. But rest assured we’re not broken,” the commissioner said. “We will continue to take on the burdens of our communities as we carry our own. We will continue to bridge the gap of good and evil because, like Jim, this is what we are called to do.”
The Iowa State Patrol paid tribute to the fallen officer in a tweet Saturday. “Law enforcement officers are committed to serving the public and putting their lives on the line on a daily basis. We will collectively mourn the death of Sergeant Jim Smith’s service line on Friday, April 9, 2021. Rest in peace, Sergeant Smith … we have you 6 from here. “