POTEAU, Okla. (KFSM) — A suspect accused of taking a convenience store clerk hostage is dead after an officer-involved shooting.
The incident happened at 4:45 a.m. Tuesday (June 11) at the E-Z Mart at 1200 N. Broadway Street. An investigator with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation confirmed the suspect was killed in the shooting.
Brook Arbeitman, OSBI spokesman, said a Poteau Police officer and a LeFlore County deputy each fired the shot.
According to Arbeitman, authorities responded to the E-Z Mart and found an employee being held at knifepoint. The Poteau Police officer, the first into the store, demanded that the suspect release the woman, but he refused.
The officer fired a shot at the suspect, and the suspect and employee ducked behind the counter, Arbeitman said. Upon hearing the shot, the LeFlore County deputy came in and also fired at the suspect, who was struggling with the employee.
EMTs responded and found the suspect dead, Arbeitman said.
The identities of the police officer and sheriff's deputy have not been released. The clerk, the police officer and the deputy were not injured, Arbeitman said.
The State Medical Examiner is on the scene trying to identify the suspect, OSBI said.
A friend of the clerk's made the call to 911 when the incident started.
Stay with 5NEWS as this story develops.
