Officer Ryan Moritz Sioux City Police Dept. Date of Incident 02-07-16

Officer Ryan Moritz Sioux City Police Dept. Date of Incident 02-07-16

10/05/2016

Officer Ryan Moritz
Sioux City Police Department
Date of Incident: 2-07-16

 

At around 3 a.m. Sunday, February 7th, 2016, Sioux City police officers entered an apartment on the city's north side and detained eight people suspected in a series of burglaries and robberies.

The suspects were brought outside to be transported to the jail. But a lack of vehicles meant one of them, Isaiah Mothershed, had to wait his turn. So Officer Ryan Moritz and another officer took Mothershed back inside the apartment and sat him on a couch.

“That’s when Mothershed, still handcuffed with his hands behind his back, reached into the cushions of the couch and grabbed a .40 pistol, turned and shot Moritz in the left leg,” Police Chief Doug Young said.

“Moritz then lunged at Mothershed, trying to get the gun. In the ensuing struggle, the gun went off again, striking Mothershed in his own leg,” Young said.

Both were administered first aid on the scene, then taken to Mercy Medical Center.

Moritz was discharged quickly from the hospital, and was recovering at home Monday. Miraculously, the bullet passed through his thigh without striking anything vital.

Moritz, a 13-year veteran of the force was able to recover and return to work.

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