A Pennsylvania state trooper was sadly killed in a shootout last week with a suspect. Another state trooper was seriously injured in a separate shooting incident that occurred at a state police barracks. 

According to WTAE, "Trooper Jacques Rougeau Jr., 29, was killed and Lt. James Wagner, 45, was critically wounded in separate encounters before Brandon Stine, 38, of Thompsontown was killed.

Stine was named as the suspect.

As of this writing, officials are still unsure of the suspect's motive in ambushing the two state troopers.

What happened?

Sometime late morning, Stine drove into the parking lot of the Lewistown barracks in Juniata County, Pennsylvania, and opened fire with a "large caliber rifle."

According to Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris, Stine then fled the scene after shooting at several marked patrol cars.

WTAE noted:

Lt. Col. George Bivens, deputy commissioner of operations, who went up in a helicopter to coordinate the search, said Stine appeared to be playing a “cat and mouse” game — calling 911 to give a location and then not being there when they arrived.

Bivens added: "He seemed to be setting our people up for potential ambush."

Wagner first encountered Stine and was ultimately shot and seriously wounded. Onlookers assisted the downed trooper by calling for help on his radio. He was later air-evacuated to Hershey Medical Center. Tragically, Rougeau was ambushed and killed by Stine as he drove down a road located in a nearby area.

The outlet noted:

Rougeau, who was married, would have marked his third anniversary with the department later this month, officials said. Wagner, a 21-year veteran, is currently commander of the Bedford barracks, is a naval reservist and has three sons in the Coast Guard, officials said.

Intense search and battle

Stine led the police on a manhunt through neighborhoods and local businesses. Gun battles between the two sides erupted.

Bivens praised the responding officers for tracking down the heavily armed suspect.

"What I witnessed ... was one of the most intense, unbelievable gunfights I have ever witnessed," Bivens said, praising the troopers for fighting Stine, even though he had a firearm that "would defeat any of the body armor that they had available to them."

"At this point, there are no clear motives we can point to,” Commissioner Paris said. "I’m struck by the level of violence … and I remain humbled and in awe of the way that our people rallied and brought the resources needed to bear to protect the community."