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Police: 2 officers shot and killed in ambush-style attacks in Iowa

Posted at 5:32 AM, Nov 02, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-02 11:52:18-04

The Latest on two officers in the Des Moines, Iowa, area who were killed in what authorities describe as ambush-style attacks (all times local):

9:40 a.m.

Police say the suspect in the killings of two Des Moines area police officers is in custody.

Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek says Scott Michael Greene was taken into custody without incident Wednesday morning.

Greene is suspected in the killing of a Des Moines police officer and an Urbandale police officer earlier Wednesday.

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9:15 a.m.

The man wanted in connection with the killing of two Des Moines area police officers has a record of confrontation with police and others.

Iowa court records show 46-year-old Scott Michael Greene, of Urbandale, 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.

Des Moines police say Greene is a suspect in the shootings early Wednesday in Des Moines and the suburb of Urbandale.

9 a.m.

Police say a "series of leads and investigative tips" led them to identify a suspect in the killing of two Des Moines area police officers.

Des Moines Sgt. Paul Parizek wouldn't give details about how investigators determined 46-year-old Scott Michael Greene, of Urbandale, was a suspect in the separate shootings early Wednesday in Des Moines and the suburb of Urbandale.

Parizek says officers don't know where Greene is located.

Police have closed long stretches of the roads, about two miles apart, where the officers were found in their cars.

The Urbandale officer was dead at the scene and the Des Moines officer died at a hospital.

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7:40 a.m.

Police say they have identified a suspect in the early morning killing of two Des Moines area police officers, warning he is likely armed and should be considered dangerous.

Police said in a statement Wednesday that they are hunting for 46-year-old Scott Michael Greene, of Urbandale.

He is described as white, 5 feet 11 inches tall, 180 pounds with brown hair and green eyes. He was last known to be driving a blue 2011 Ford F-150 pickup truck with Iowa license plates 780 YFR.

The truck is equipped with a ladder rack.

Investigators identified Greene as a suspect as they scrambled to respond to the killings of officers in Urbandale and Des Moines in separate shootings.

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5:10 a.m.

Police in Des Moines, Iowa, say two officers who were killed in ambush-style attacks were both shot while they were sitting in their patrol cars.

Des Moines Police Sgt. Paul Parizek said Wednesday that authorities are developing suspect information but there was nothing that authorities were ready to share with the public.

Parizek was emotional during a news conference. He says there is "clearly danger" right now for police officers in the area because the officers were gunned down while sitting in their cars doing nothing wrong. He says the department has doubled up its officers to better protect them.

The first officer, an Urbandale officer, was shot about 1:06 a.m. About 20 minutes later, a Des Moines officer was found shot about 2 miles away.

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4:50 a.m.

Authorities say two police officers in the Des Moines, Iowa, area were shot to death in ambush-style attacks about 2 miles apart.

The Des Moines Police Department said in a news release that officers responded to a report of shots fired at about 1:06 a.m. and found an Urbandale Police Department officer who had been shot.

Des Moines officers responded to help. About 20 minutes later, a Des Moines officer was found shot about 2 miles away. Both officers have died.

The Des Moines Police Department said suspect information is being developed. The agency didn't immediately release any other information but said a news conference was planned for 5 a.m.

Urbandale is a city in the Des Moines metro area.

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4:30 a.m.

Police in Des Moines, Iowa, say two officers have been shot and killed in ambush-style attacks.

The Des Moines Police Department said in a news release that the shootings took place early Wednesday. Officers responded to a report of shots fired at about 1:06 a.m. and found an Urbandale Police Department officer who had been shot.

Des Moines officers responded to assist. About 20 minutes later, a Des Moines officer was found shot. Both officers have died.

The Des Moines Police Department said suspect information is being developed. The agency didn't immediately release any other information but said a news conference was planned for 5 a.m.

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