Suspect arrested in ambush-style cop killings

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This undated photo provided by the Des Moines Police Department shows Scott Michael Greene, of Urbandale, Iowa. (Des Moines Police Department via AP)

Police have arrested a suspect in the early morning killing of two Des Moines area police officers after warning he was likely armed and dangerous.

Investigators identified Scott Michael Greene, 46, as a suspect as they scrambled to respond to the killings of officers in Urbandale and Des Moines in separate shootings.

The officers have been identified as Urbandale Police Officer Justin Martin, 24, and Des Moines Police Sgt. Anthony "Tony" Beminio. A Facebook post on the Urbandale city page shows Martin being sworn in this past January. The police chief says that Martin had just finished his probationary period this summer and started patrolling alone shortly after that.

Bemino had been with the Des Moines police force since 2005. His Facebook page showed that he was married with two children.

Officers responded to a report of shots fired at 1:06 a.m. and found an Urbandale Police Department officer who had been shot. Authorities from several agencies saturated the area after that shooting, and about 20 minutes later discovered that a Des Moines officer had been shot in a patrol car at an intersection, Des Moines Sgt. Paul Parizek said. The shootings happened about 2 miles apart and both took place along main streets that cut through residential areas.

"There's somebody out there shooting police officers. We hope to find him before somebody else gets hurt," said Parizek, who stopped briefly during a news conference as he worked to control his emotions.

The shootings follow a spate of police killings, including ambushes of officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Five officers were killed in Dallas on July 7 and three were killed later that month in Baton Rouge.

Officers are now conducting patrols in pairs for protection, he said.

"There is a clear and present danger to police officers," Parizek said.

Parizek said he wouldn't release more information about the shootings.

Urbandale Sgt. Chad Underwood said Urbandale officers are equipped with body cameras, but they don't run constantly and it's unclear whether there was video of the shootings.

Urbandale is a suburb of about 40,000 people in the Des Moines metro area with about 50 officers. Officials in Urbandale cancelled school for the day.

Des Moines has about 375 sworn officers.