Lehi Police Captain in Critical Condition

[Willowdared]

Officer in critical but stable condition after shooting
Jeremy Duda - DAILY HERALD
A Lehi police officer is in critical but stable condition after being shot twice in the head by a suspect in a traffic stop Monday morning. The shooter, a 34-year-old Washington state woman, was shot and killed by backup officers.

Capt. Harold Terry, 55, was shot just above his left ear. He was conscious and talking when he was airlifted to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo in critical condition. Lehi police spokesman Sgt. Darren Paul said Terry was recuperating with his wife and children after undergoing surgery to remove a bullet and bullet fragments.
"We are optimistic and hopeful for a full recovery," Paul said.

Around 8:46 a.m., a clerk at Walker Oil, near 850 E. Main St., called police to report a possible impaired driver. The clerk told police the woman was driving erratically, and had slurred speech and balance problems when she went to the store to buy gas.

Terry, a 16-year veteran of the Lehi Police Department, pulled over the woman's tan Honda Accord near 1000 E. Main St. at 8:52 a.m. According to Paul, Terry and the driver talked for a few moments before some type of argument started. The woman pulled out a .38-caliber revolver and shot Terry twice from the driver's seat of her car, Paul said.

After shooting Terry, the woman got out of her car and was shot and killed by three backup officers who had arrived at the scene, Paul said. Terry was able to fire one round after being shot, hitting the suspect's vehicle. Paul said the backup officers fired five rounds at the suspect, who was hit multiple times.

"They immediately returned fire," Paul said.

Police have not released the name of the suspect, saying they were still attempting to contact relatives in Washington. Paul said she was a Washington resident who was attending school in Provo. He did not specify which school she attended, though he said it was not Brigham Young University.

After the shooting, officers blocked off Main street in Lehi from Interstate 15 to about 1200 East Monday morning. A white sheet covered the shooter's body, which lay several feet from her car.

Paul said investigators do not know the shooter's motive.

"That's part of the ongoing investigation," he said.

Paul said he was unaware of any criminal history or open warrants for the suspect. Investigators were also trying to determine what caused the conflict that immediately preceded the shooting.

"He approached her, requested her driver's license and there was an altercation at that time," Paul said.

Paul said investigators had not yet determined whether there were any signs of drugs or alcohol in the vehicle, which they were in the process of searching. A team from the Utah County Sheriff's Office is investigating, and an autopsy and toxicology test will be conducted by the state medical examiner's office.

As the captain of the Lehi Police Department's patrol unit, one of Terry's duties was to provide training to other officers. Paul described Terry as a leader who is well respected at the department.

His duties did not generally include conducting traffic stops. But he happened to be in the area when the report of the impaired driver came in and was the first officer to spot her tan Honda, so he pulled the car over himself.

"Knowing Capt. Terry, I'm not a bit surprised. He leads by example," Paul said.

Terry also conducts training for the state's Peace Officer Standards and Training Academy, Paul said, and teaches classes at a local college.

Paul said police officers often consider traffic stops to be the most dangerous encounters they have because there are so many unknown factors involved.

"Obviously we have to be cautious. We don't know who we're approaching," he said.

[Captain America]

From one hard -headed captain to another Gods speed in your recovery. Your a leader after my own heart and your people need you back to work as soon as possible.

[adroitcuffs]

Many prayers en route!

[2 Blue 4 U]

Best wishes sent his way for a full and speedy recovery!

[depusm12]

Prayers and smoke from Kansas for a speedy recovery.

[TXCharlie]

Sounds like he was incredibly lucky, not only for surviving the head shot but for having some good backup officers there when he needed them.

Hoping for a full recovery!

[gozling]

Thoughts and Prayers

[Willowdared]

The officer has been upgraded to serious, and expected to survive.

SALT LAKE CITY - The woman who shot a Lehi police captain twice in the head during a traffic stop Monday struggled with mental illness over the past year, and was working toward a new life, family members said.

According to a report in Tuesday's Salt Lake Tribune, Kelly Wark suffered from "severe" mental illness -- which might have included post-traumatic stress disorder and paranoia.

A gas station clerk nearby called police and claimed Wark seemed a bit unstable and was driving erratically. The shootout occurred when Capt. Terry stopped her less than a mile away.

Terry was hospitalized with critical injuries, but was expected to survive.

An investigation into the shooting continued Tuesday, as officials try to determine what led a troubled young woman to turn to violence during a seemingly minor offense.

According to the Tribune report, Wark once pulled a shotgun at a bible study group in Washington state, though she did not fire on anyone or anything. However, such an incident might suggest that Wark was proficient with firearms and had no hesitation about carrying them.

Wark's ex-husband, Craig Hancock, claimed that she exhibited paranoia during their relationship -- and that she also told him she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, the Tribune reported.

However, it was not clear whether Wark's claims of post-traumatic stress disorder had ever been documented or suggested by medical professionals.

Hancock told the Tribune that Wark's refusal to take or upgrade her medication resulted in the couple's divorce.

About a month into the marriage, Hancock said his wife started acting strangely and kept accusing him of 'selling her to slavery.'

Wark's family said that Kelly was attempting to make a new life for herself, with the help of medication, in Utah. Authorities said she was attending a massage therapy school in the town of Lindon when the deadly traffic stop occurred.

"Kelly was a gentle, kind and loving person," the Wark family said Tuesday in a statement. "We offer our deepest condolences to the family of the officer who was hurt."

Monday evening, KUTV.com erroneously reported that Wark was a student at Utah Valley University in Orem. Authorities revealed actual details about her academic career on Tuesday.

"We were really hoping that she was on the mend," sister Erin Wark told the Tribune.

A strange incident from Wark's marriage occurred when members of a bible study group arrived at the couple's home unannounced, which led to Kelly becoming hysterical. The Tribune report says Wark grabbed a 12-gauge shotgun and stood on the porch as her husband tried to get the study group members to leave.

"She was very fearful and very afraid a lot, so she was always trying to protect herself," Erin Wark said.

[Kate]

Thoughts and prayers sent for a complete and full recovery.

[CTR man]

Police have not released the name of the suspect, saying they were still attempting to contact relatives in Washington. Paul said she was a Washington resident who was attending school in Provo. He did not specify which school she attended, though he said it was not Brigham Young University.

I would like to think that the majority of Latter Day Saints wouldn't even dream of pulling that kind of stunt.

The officer has been upgraded to serious, and expected to survive.

SALT LAKE CITY - The woman who shot a Lehi police captain twice in the head during a traffic stop Monday struggled with mental illness over the past year, and was working toward a new life, family members said.

According to a report in Tuesday's Salt Lake Tribune, Kelly Wark suffered from "severe" mental illness -- which might have included post-traumatic stress disorder and paranoia.

Figures she was a mental case. I commend the deceased for moving to Utah to try and start a new life but Jeez!!! She must have just grazed him. Off her meds, too. Maybe it was her time to leave this existance. Sad that she had to do it by shooting at a cop.

I have relatives (in-laws) in the Provo Orem area.

"Kelly was a gentle, kind and loving person," the Wark family said Tuesday in a statement. "We offer our deepest condolences to the family of the officer who was hurt."

Glad to see that they are not condemning the police.

Capt Terry must have had God and some angels watching over him. Damned lucky to be alive. Must have not been his time to go. I am glad to see that they expect him to survive. Thoughts and prayers sent for a complete and full recovery as well.

[Wolven]

Prayers for a speedy recovery.

[gopherpuckfan]

Get well soon, Captain!