Police: Suspect In Ambush-Style Killings Of 2 Iowa Officers In Custody
DES MOINES, Iowa (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Police say they have captured the man suspected in the ambush killings of two Des Moines, Iowa area officers.
Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek said Scott Michael Greene flagged down a Department of Natural Resources officer Wednesday morning in a neighboring county and presented his identification and asked that the officer call 911.
He was taken into custody and is now being treated at a hospital.
Greene is suspected in the shooting deaths of Urbandale officer Justin Martin, with the force since 2015, and Sgt. Anthony "Tony'' Beminio, who joined the department in Des Moines in 2005.
Parizek said investigators determined Greene was a suspect in the killings through "a series of leads and investigative tips." Parizek said Greene hasn't yet been charged.
Police said both officers were shot in ambush-style attacks while sitting in their patrol cars. Martin was shot about 1:06 a.m in Greene's hometown of Urbandale. About 20 minutes later, Beminio was found shot about two miles away.
"There definitely was no opportunity for the officers to defend themselves or respond to the attack," Parizek said. "Both officers were seated in their cars, and were shot while they were sitting."
Martin was single. Beminio was married with children.
At an earlier news conference Wednesday, Parizek said there was a "clear and present danger to police officers" following the shootings.
He said police have no idea what led to the killings. He said the officers' deaths are a blow to all police in the Des Moines area.
"They are our friends and co-workers," he said. "Des Moines is not a big city. We all know each other. We're heartbroken."
Iowa court records show Greene was jailed and charged with interference with official acts after resisting Urbandale police officers trying to pat him down for a weapon on April 10, 2014.
A complaint signed by an Urbandale officer says Greene resisted verbal commands, was hostile and combative. It says he was known to be armed. He entered a guilty plea and was fined.
Two days later, Urbandale police were called to answer a complaint of harassment at the apartment complex where Greene lived. The complaint says he threatened to kill another man during a confrontation in the parking lot.
He was charged with harassment, pleaded guilty and received a suspended jail sentence and a year of probation. Records show he completed a court-ordered substance abuse and psychological evaluation.
In another incident, police said Greene was issued a warning for trespassing at a football game at his daughter's high school and for waiving a confederate flag during the national anthem.
Police said they do not know how many weapons Greene may have had access to, or how he got them.
President Obama released a statement Wednesday evening, calling the shootings "shameful acts of violence."
"All across the country, our police officers go to work each day not knowing whether they'll come home at night. Their families live each day with the same fears. So as Americans, we owe them our respect and gratitude for their efforts to safeguard our families and our communities," the president said.
Meanwhile, the NYPD offered its condolences for the slain officers early Wednesday morning, saying: "Our prayers are with the families and colleagues of the officers killed in the line of duty in the Des Moines area of Iowa."
In December of 2014, NYPD officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were both shot to death while sitting in their cruiser in Brooklyn.
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