One sheriff’s deputy is dead and another is in critical condition after they were shot Friday during a prisoner transport in Kansas City, Kansas, authorities said.
The two Wyandotte County deputies were transporting inmates to court around 11:30 a.m. CT Friday, sheriff’s office spokeswoman Maj. Kelli Bailiff said at a news conference.
When they pulled into a parking lot outside the county courthouse, the deputies were “overcome,” Bailiff said.
“It is very possible that with their own firearm – they were both shot,” she said.
Police identified the slain deputy as Patrick Rohrer, 35, a seven-year veteran.
Kansas City, Kansas, police have taken over the investigation.
Both deputies were taken to the University of Kansas Health System, where one of the deputies succumbed to his injures, said Kansas City police Chief Terry Zeigler.
The suspect is in the operating room at the same hospital, Zeigler said.
The surviving deputy, a female, remains in critical condition, according to Bailiff.
A spokesman for Wyandotte County, Edwin Birch, previously told CNN the shooting occurred inside the court services building, and that a juvenile had also been shot.
Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer said in a statement he was “saddened” by the news.
“Our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line each and every day to protect the public and their selfless service deserves our highest honor,” he said.