When the police officers responded to a mess call in a house in Tremonton in Utah on Sunday, a man immediately started on Sunday. Shooting On them. Two officers were killed, a Sheriff Deputy was injured and a police dog was also admitted to the hospital with injuries.
It was an ambush.
Mayor Lile Holmagren said that “many police officers and public servants were to harm the” intentions of the suspect. ”
Shooting was the latest in the increasing trend of ambush attacks against nationwide police officers. Firing against police has jumped 60% since 2018, according to data tracked by Police orderA law enforcement member organization that has been monitoring shooting since 2015-and the percentage of ambush style attacks has been increasing continuously.
According to data collected by the organization and as analyzed by CBS News, at least 56 law enforcement officers were shot in 45 ambush-style attacks in 2025 through 31 July, shooting more than 28% of the total officials. Five years ago, only more than 20% of police officers were shot in the line of duty, killed in ambush style attacks.
The fighter system of the National President of Police, Patrick Yos wrote Letter to Congress In March, advocating the “Protect and Service Act”, which will enact a new federal law against deliberate attacks about law enforcement. He said that deliberate attacks are contributing to the crisis in recruiting the next generation of officers and catching those who are currently serving.
In July, after a week’s violence in which 10 police officers were shot, three roughly, YOES wrote: “How many more officers should die before Congress acts? Our men and women should be better eligible in law enforcement.”
“Send everyone”
Often, what seems to have a plan for regular calls planned, such as what happened to police officers in Fargo, North Dakota, when he responded to a car accident on July 14, 2023.
This call came from dispatch: A BMW Sport Utility Vehicle crashed into a Mazda on 25th Street in South Fargo, one of the busiest roads in the city. The newly constructed Fargo police officer Tyler Hayes and his training officer, Andrew Dotus, reached the spot to assist and interview the drivers and passengers involved.
Okay, Haaves, who graduated from the Fargo Police Academy seven weeks ago, a rejected dispatch for another officer. They felt that they could use some additional help in talking to witnesses and controlling traffic.
Officers Zachari Robinson and Jake Walin arrived in about 10 minutes. Hayes, who attended the police academy with Walin, recalled his friend and colleague, saying that as soon as he reached there, “what do you want?”
They were ambushed after less than two minutes.
The 23 -year -old Walin was killed, and Hayes and Dots were injured when a man named Mohammad Barakat set fire to a surprising attack from his 2006 Mercury Grand Markwis, using Anderson Manufacturing Rifle with a Bushnell scope. Another man, Carly Koswik, was injured at the scene, shot twice on the pavement as he tried to escape.
Fargo Police Department 
A witness, Kim Hazar Senior heard that what he said looked like the sound of a machine gun. Hazar told the investigators that they saw two police officers moving from parking towards Bulleward, and then saw the officers falling to the ground.
Robinson said the shots were fired.
“Send everyone,” he said, before opening the fire on the suspect. “I shot him four times at that time,” he said, before loading and killing the Barkat again.
The suspect had nothing to do with the vehicle accident. Investigators later found that Barakat was searching online for large -scale firing details, loading his vehicle with rifles, two strategic vested, thousands of rounds of ammunition and a live grenade.
When he saw the police officers, he decided to divert his deadly weapons on them – in the ever -increasing list of shooters who intentionally ambushed the law enforcement.
Trend upwards – and training to respond
The FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division began a search study in 2025 in response to the disturbing trend. Federal agents have started interviewing criminals to connect what can be learned about the increase in attacks on law enforcement officers across the country.
Prior to recent studies, a lot of research has been done about ambush attacks against law enforcement and why these are happening.
An earlier study by the International Association of Chiefs of Police found that 68% were considered to be anxious, 2023 like Fargo ambush, and 32% were planned. The report published in 2014 analyzed data from 1990 to 2012, in a year when six law enforcement officers were killed.
According to the IACP, an ambush is defined by four components: an element of surprise, the hide of the attacker, the sudden attack, and lack of provocation. The ambush can be classified as either prefabricated or spontaneous.
FBI issued A report in 2018 From 1996 to 2016, it was doubled showing ambush attacks on law enforcement. It was found that while fewer police officers were being killed in total, surprising attacks in which officers were killed continuously. (FBI’s data counting officials were killed, while FOP data shoots all officers.)
In 2023, there was a large spike in ambush style attacks, when 138 officers were shot.
There have been recent events in Texas compared to any other state; So far this year, seven officers have been shot in seven ambush style attacks. This is followed by California and Ohio, each in four ambush style attacks.
FBI Law Enforcement expert Kevin Harris has been doing research on ambush attacks for many years, and he trains the police across the country how to prepare and respond.
Harris said, “Generally, it is a trend of a top that continues only upwards and has been for the last several years,” said Harris, which describes an ambush as an example “where an officer is lured in a place where she can be attacked.”
Their training sessions include analyzing and discussing various ambush attacks in recent years. Harris said that he wants
Harris said, “I try to tell the authorities, ‘Look, you have found that good line between being hypervigible and a heart attack at an early age,” said Harris.
Life changed forever
The trauma of these attacks craves through families, police departments and communities across the country.
“Those life are affected forever,” said Harris.
Two years of the Fargo attack have passed and the officials who have survived can now speak about what happened to them that day.
Officers spent weeks in dotas and hawes hospitalHospital staff, family, friends and other officials appreciated as a dotus, wearing “WeR Fargo PD” sweets, finally left the convenience with his wife and young son, AJ.
Fargo Police Department 
Dotus, who said he joined the police force because he “wanted to live a meaningful life,” CBS News spoke about some challenges that he faced during his long recovery.
“I really don’t really get a chance to become a protector. I had to trust it, like, to protect me,” he said.
He credits his belief and his family to draw through him. He also said, looking at that horrific day, “There were many miracles that day.” Dotus said that when the shooting was already done, the vehicle accident is already being focused, perhaps helped to save their lives.
Hayes said an interview The Fargo was issued by the police that they were lucky that two trauma rooms were open and two were fully ready to help the staff medical teams.
“This incident affected everyone who lives here,” Said Trauma Surgeon Dr. Anase Gasevik, who took care of the authorities in a statement. He said that it seems that the incident has removed some innocence of living in the area.
Officer walin Leave behind His parents, brothers and fiancée. Dots, who returned to force in February 2025, and many other Fargo police officers wear bracelets in his honor.
“It’s very difficult because we lost Jake Walin that day and his family will never be able to catch him and be able to talk to him and live with him,” Dotus said. “He was a new man,” he said, seeing that he belonged to Walin because they both served in the army.
Dotus said that he often looks down in the bracelet when he is working to remember Walin and has a desire to serve him.
“He gave everything to him, and this is something that can never be taken away from him,” Dotus said.
Jreddom Ochcher contributed to this report.
