Officers armed with an unspecified warrant claimed they knocked and when there was no answer, broke through the door of 37 year old combat veteran Matthew David Stewart's home in Ogden, Utah.
The resulting gun battle left one officer dead and five officers wounded, some critically. The veteran was also wounded. Stewart is in the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
There is some question as to whether during the raid, police might have inadvertently fired on each other.
Stewart's only criminal record is a class B misdemeanor in 2005 for driving without insurance, for which he was fined $350. state officials had also placed two tax liens on Stewart last August.
In the Army, Stewart had been communications equipment specialist, earning an Army Achievement Medal and a National Defense Service Medal.
According to his father, he had PTSD, anxiety and depression, and may have self-medicated with marijuana. He is employed at Wal-Mart on a night shift, so may have been asleep when the police raid happened. He said his son did not own any automatic weapons.
On Wednesday, witnesses said they heard three quick pops followed by a two- to three-minute pause, then lots of gunfire and officers yelling at someone to "put your hands up," in the backyard.
Outside Stewart's house on Thursday armed SWAT officers clothed in camouflage remained on guard as police continued their search of the property. |