A western Indiana police officer was shot dead in an ambush outside an FBI office behind the Vigo County Courthouse on Wednesday, according to authorities. Officer Greg Ferency, a 30-year veteran with the Terre Haute Police Department, was gunned down around 2:15 pm, according to The Tribune Star.
According to a FBI statement released on Wednesday night, Ferency and the shooters exchanged gunshots for quite some time. The federal agent managed to gun down the shooter but also took bullets in exchange and died in the ambush. An investigation into the incident has been launched, the FBO statement said.
Killed in the Line of Duty
Sgt. Ryan Adamson tweeted that Ferency was shot dead by a group of shooters just outside the FBI building and he died almost immediately. "An FBI agent shot and wounded the suspect who is currently in custody receiving medical attention at a local hospital," a statement from the FBI read.
"Detective Ferency was assigned to the FBI Taskforce on behalf of the Terre Haute Police Department. The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously," the statement went on. "In accordance with FBI policy, the shooting incident is under investigation by the FBI's Inspection Division."
Law enforcement officials said the suspect was in surgery late Wednesday afternoon at Regional Hospital in Terre Haute. The condition of the suspect was not immediately clear but is expected to survive.
The suspect was described as "a white male in a pickup truck with a damaged back end," WTHI-TV reported.
Horrifying Scenes
According to reports, the shooting took place in front of everyone, with Ferency almost being cornered during the shooting. Although he managed to shoot the suspect, he managed to flee. Cops told WISH-TV that they believe the suspect after being hit fled the scene and drove himself to the hospital.
Police then set up a perimeter around his truck to search it. While tracking the vehicle, police found a gold-colored Ford F-150 pickup truck outside the hospital with bullet holes in the window. They then tracked the suspect and took him in custody. However, he is still receiving treatment at the hospital.
According to his LinkedIn, Ferency was an accomplished narcotics detective who had written a book titled Narc Ops. The book is available on Amazon and explains how the police fight the drug "war in covert world of illicit drug use and distribution."
Ferency had also received specialized training and experience in methamphetamine related investigations, according to Police-Writers.com. "Greg has been at the scene of over 550 methamphetamine lab scenes as both lead investigator and site safety officer since 1999," the website reads.
During Wednesday's shooting, another Chicago cop and two other agents with the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also wounded. However, they are expected to recover from their injuries soon.
