• Search

Hero Down: Floyd County Sheriff’s Deputy William Petry And K9 Drago Murdered By Gunman

Sandy MaloneJuly 1, 2022

By Sandy Malone and Holly Matkin

Allen, KY – Floyd County Sheriff’s Deputy William Petry was murdered by a gunman during an incident the sheriff described as “pure hell” on Thursday night.

Floyd County Sheriff’s K9 Drago was also fatally shot during the incident that began as deputies tried to serve a domestic violence order on Railroad Street in Allen at about 5 p.m. on June 30, WCHS reported.

Local officials said on Friday that the investigation stemmed from an alleged sexual assault, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

The sheriff said 49-year-old Lance Storz seemed to be waiting for the deputies to arrive.

Storz barricaded himself inside a residence after the initial attack and engaged in a gunfight with law enforcement officers from multiple agencies that responded to the scene to assist.

Sheriff Hunt called the mass shooting a “planned event.”

“When the deputies put out the call for help, the responding agencies, I guess, just entered the line of fire without even knowing where it was coming from,” the sheriff explained. “We were there for hours before we even knew where it was coming from.”

“He was a sheer terrorist,” Sheriff Hunt told reporters.

Storz was ultimately taken into custody alive and charged with multiple counts of murder, attempted murder of a police officer, and assault on a service animal, WCHS reported.

He was held on a $10 million cash bond.

Additional charges are expected, WCHS reported.

Prestonsburg Police Captain Ralph Frasure was also murdered by Storz.

Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt confirmed the identities of the fallen heroes in a social media post and invited the community to show its support along the officers’ routes to their respective funeral homes.

Kentucky State Police (KSP) said four more officers were wounded during the standoff.

Rookie Prestonsburg Police Officer Jacob Chaffins remains in “grave” condition at the hospital, according to the city.

“Jacob Chaffins, just beginning a career in Law Enforcement, is currently in the hospital with a grieving young wife and daughter,” the post to Facebook read.

Two other officers remained in the hospital in stable condition and one of the wounded heroes was treated and released, WLEX reported.

An emergency management director who was shot during the incident was also still in the hospital receiving treatment.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Floyd County Sheriff’s Deputy William Petry and K9 Drago, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.

Deputy William Petry and K9 Drago, your lives mattered.

FacebookTwitterLinkedIn
Written by
Sandy Malone

Managing Editor - Twitter/@SandyMalone_ - Prior to joining The Police Tribune, Sandy wrote the Politics.Net column for the Wall Street Journal and was managing editor of Campaigns & Elections magazine. More recently, she was an internationally-syndicated columnist for Conde Nast (BRIDES), The Huffington Post, and Monsters and Critics. Sandy is married to a retired police captain and former SWAT commander.

View all articles
Related articles
Written by Sandy Malone
Add comment
Hero Down: Poteet Police Department Reserve Officer Jeffrey Richardson Killed By Drunk Driver
FacebookTwitterLinkedIn
Hero Down: Prestonsburg Police Captain Ralph Frasure Murdered During ‘Planned’ Attack

Newsletter

Sign up to our daily newsletter so you don't miss out on the latest events surrounding law enforcement!

Follow Me

Follow us on social media and be sure to mark us as "See First."

Sponsored: