Jamal Dean
Police are searching a neighborhood on the west side of Sioux City, looking for a man armed with a rifle who shot a cop earlier this afternoon.
Sioux City Police officer Chad Sheehan says the shooting happened during a traffic stop.
“As the vehicle pulled off into an alley…the suspect exited the vehicle and opened fire on the officer before he could even exit his vehicle,” Sheehan says.
The suspect then fled on foot. He’s identified as 22-year-old Jamal Dean of Sioux City. Dean is six-foot-one-inches tall and weighs about 230 pounds. He was wearing black clothing at the time of the traffic stop. Officer Sheehan says the suspect is armed and dangerous.
“All of our available resources are out,” Sheehan says. “We have multiple jurisdictions assisting us in his search, including the sheriff’s department and federal agencies. We will work on this until we can bring him safely in.”
Dean is wanted in Woodbury County for first degree robbery, burglary and theft.
Authorities are not releasing the name of the officer who was shot, but Sheehan says the policeman is in stable condition and his injuries are not life-threatening. The shooting happened at about 3:15 p.m. today. Schools on the west side of Sioux City were locked down as a precaution, but most schools in Sioux City had an early dismissal today.
By Woody Gottburg, KSCJ, Sioux City