IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The suspect charged with fatally shooting an Iowa State Patrol officer during a violent standoff had been a candidate for county sheriff last year.
Michael Lang was the Democratic candidate for Grundy County sheriff in the November election even though he had no law enforcement experience and a long history of alcohol-related crimes.
Residents and investigators say they are struggling to understand how the suspect in an officer's death that has devastated Iowa could have been a recent sheriff's candidate.
The man who defeated him says he believes Lang was motivated by his general dislike for law enforcement. But at least one neighbor saw his candidacy as a sign that Lang had turned his life around.
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