Sgt. Lee Sorensen and Officer Eric Estrada were killed Sunday night after responding to a domestic violence call near 700 N. 200 East in Tremonton. Meanwhile, Deputy Mike Allred and his K-9 partner, Azula, were injured by gunfire. The alleged shooter, 32-year-old Ryan Michael Bate, was later apprehended and booked into the Weber County Jail.

Addressing the media for the first time, an emotional Cordova said that he was with his family when he received a call from dispatch informing him of an active shooter situation.

“I immediately left and rushed to get equipment for our guys on scene,” Cordova said. “Typically, with these events, there will be a delay from the initial call to us getting that page. We had a lot of different information initially. I responded to the scene and we had many of our brothers and sisters who wear the badge there supporting us trying to take control of chaos. That was the scene we responded to.”

Cordova praised the work of his officers — particularly Sorensen and Estrada — as well as those who responded from other agencies, including SWAT units from Ogden. He also thanked the community for providing him and his department strength during their time of mourning.

“Knowing what happened, knowing the information — I can say unequivocally that Eric and Lee are heroes. Make no mistake about it,” Cordova added. “I truly believe, from the bottom of my heart, more people would have died that night had they not intervened. We will never forget. We will always remember and we will always honor you. I’m honored to have served alongside them and I will never forget.”

Cordova was joined in addressing reporters by Tremonton Mayor Lyle Holmgren, Garland Mayor Linda Bourne, Box Elder County Sheriff Kevin Potter and, representing the Sorensen family, Madison Peterson.

“Our hearts are broken and our deepest love and prayers are for the families, their friends and fellow law enforcement. These officers served our community with courage, dedication and their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Holmgren said. “We stand united as a city in honoring their memory, supporting their families and caring for our police department.”

Said Bourne, a former Garland Police chief and the first woman in the state to lead a police department: “Our community has suffered an unspeakable tragedy. Two of our brave police officers lost their lives in the line of duty while protecting our community. These officers demonstrated the highest level of courage, commitment and selflessness — values that define not only our police department, but our community as a whole. Words cannot adequately express our sorrow.”

Peterson offered her family’s gratitude for those who responded to the incident on Sunday night and thanked the community for its outpouring of love and support.

“One thing about Lee is he was community driven. … If you knew him, that was him.” Peterson said. “There is no higher honor than human service. To work for the common good is the greatest deed — that’s Lee through and through. Not only when he was here working, but on his personal time, he continued to choose to serve this community, to even serve his fellow brothers and sisters on the forces.”

Cordova released a message from Estrada’s widow, thanking responders and the officers who continue to provide support. She also thanked the community and asked for time and space as her family mourns.

Potter gave an update on Allred and Azula, noting that both had been released from their respective medical facilities and were “feeling pretty good.” He noted that Allred only narrowly escaped a worse outcome.

“We were an inch away from having a third dead officer,” Potter said.

After the press briefing, Chief Deputy Cade Palmer of the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office told reporters that Allred’s efforts after he had been shot played a key role in getting additional officers to where they needed to be in order to protect themselves and others.

“His priority was to make sure anybody else responding didn’t end up in the same situation he ended up in,” Palmer said. “That was his biggest concern. And I believe he saved some lives that night because officers were responding in the same way he did, and he was directing them away from that situation.”