PROVO, Utah — A Provo police officer was shot and wounded Thursday after a confrontation with a suspect at an apartment complex across the street from Memorial Park.
Police say the suspect was also shot and was taken into custody following the incident at 900 East and 80 South.
Officer John Oseguera is in stable condition with two gunshot wounds to his lower extremities and shrapnel to the head. Oseguera, who is in his second year with the department, underwent surgery at Utah Valley Hospital.
"This is not something that any of us would want to happen," said Provo Police Chief Rich Ferguson. "[The officers] training kicked in, they performed exceptionally and I couldn't be more proud of them."
The department received numerous calls to 911 about a man acting erratically and carrying a weapon. One caller said a window had been shot out at the Vista Ridge Apartments.
Gunshots were fired after Oseguera and Officer Harlan Scmitt confronted the suspect inside the apartment building at 12:50 p.m. After being shot, the suspect barricaded himself until he was apprehended and taken into custody.
The unidentified suspect was in possession of two semi-automatic weapons during the shootout.
Oseguera was able to walk out of the building under his own power and was transported to the hospital. The suspect was also taken to a nearby hospital.
Ferguson said Oseguera called his wife on the way to the hospital to tell her that he loved her.
Provo Peaks Elementary is near the park, but the school was not placed on lockdown.
