Arizona Deputy Is Held in Slayings of 2 Fellow Officers

YUMA, Ariz. —  Two members of a drug task force were shot to death by a fellow officer they confronted when they responded to a burglar alarm at their headquarters, investigators said.

Sheriff’s Deputy Jack Hudson was booked for investigation of murder. Investigators refused to discuss a motive late Tuesday and wouldn’t comment on whether a burglary took place.

“There’s a lot of information to sort out down here. It’s still unclear as to what happened,” said Dave Myers, a spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety.

One of the officers killed was Mike Crowe, a 15-year veteran of Myers’ agency. The other was Dan Elkins, 42, commander of the task force and a Yuma police lieutenant.

Elkins had gone to the office of the task force, known as the Southwest Border Alliance, with Crowe and another officer in response to the alarm, the Safety Department said in a statement.

Investigators suspect that Hudson opened fire on Elkins and Crowe, 41, after being found by the two men, the statement said.

It did not elaborate other than to say the shooting apparently continued outside the building and Elkins and Crowe did not return fire. Police officers responding to a 911 call about the shooting found Hudson in the parking lot and arrested him.

Elkins and Crowe had multiple gunshot wounds, Robinson said.

Hudson, 37, was held on $15.5-million bail.

The task force also includes the Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs Service and Border Patrol. It has 25 to 30 officers who investigate drug cases in the Yuma area near the border with Mexico. The task force is about 2 years old.