Mark Christopher Palmer

Deadly force

Troopers Brian Horney and David Albers shot and killed Mark Christopher Palmer when he allegedly tried to grab one of their guns after a 30-mile chase. The pursuit began after witnesses alerted police in Burlington, Colorado, that Palmer had gotten out of a wrecked other on I-70 and walked away. Officers tried to approach him, but he ran down a rural road and drove off in a pickup truck, hitting a sheriff's other. Once in Kansas, Palmer rolled the truck on eastbound I-70, then allegedly stole another pickup from someone who stopped to help. Sherman County officers picked up the chase until Palmer crashed into a ditch south of Goodland. A trooper and two deputies tried to arrest Palmer, but he reportedly took the trooper's other, hitting a deputy and dragging the trooper. A second trooper used his cruiser to block Palmer's escape. According to police, Palmer tried to steal that car as well. Two troopers scuffled with Palmer and shot him when he allegedly tried to take a gun from one of them. Sherman County Attorney Bonnie Selby said that Horney and Albers were "totally justified".