Trooper's wife thankful for widespread support MHP asks for restraint as rumors spread online

The wife of a Montana Highway Patrol officer shot in the line of duty Friday released a statement through the MHP Monday, thanking those across Montana and Utah who have given their support.

“I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Montana and Utah for all of their support, and to all of the caring people throughout the nation that have offered prayers and positive messages,” the statement from Lyndsey Palmer reads.

“To all the Brothers and Sisters in Blue, words cannot express the appreciation we have for all that you have done and for reaching out.

“We are holding strong and the continued aid is greatly appreciated. Knowing that our communities are coming together at our time of need is a great comfort. It gives us the ability to focus our attention on Wade and family which is the most important thing at this time. Hold the Line. Stay Strong.”

According to The Associated Press coverage, Trooper Wade Palmer was investigating a shooting that killed one person and injured two others on Friday.

Wade was with other law enforcement officers searching for the driver of a Cadillac Escalade who had flashed his lights at a pickup truck ahead of him and then opened fire on the truck’s occupants when it stopped Thursday night in Missoula, according to charging documents.

A little over an hour after that shooting, Palmer found the Escalade on Highway 93 near a bar in the small town of Evaro, about 10 miles away. Palmer reported to dispatchers that he was under fire, and then didn’t answer his radio, according to the charging documents filed by Missoula County Chief Deputy Attorney Jason Marks.

Another trooper arrived and found Palmer wounded and still buckled into his patrol car, a statement from Montana Highway Patrol officials said. The shooter had fled.

Police shut down that stretch of Highway 93, warned residents to lock their doors and then spent hours searching before they arrested Johnathan Bertsch at about 6:15 a.m. He has been charged with deliberate homicide and three counts of attempted deliberate homicide.

Palmer initially was taken to a Missoula hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. Dozens of patrol cars crowded the hospital’s parking lot as officers from various law enforcement agencies gathered to pay their respects, and they later joined a motorcade that accompanied Palmer to the airport to be transferred to a Salt Lake City hospital for treatment.

Authorities found Bertsch with the help of his father, Burton Bertsch, who said his son had called him and told him, “I had a road rage incident. ... I think I might have shot a cop,” according to the charging documents.

Authorities spoke to Johnathan Bertsch using Burton’s phone, but he refused to tell officers where he was. They found him after someone called 911 to report the Cadillac parked at the bottom of the driveway along a road near the bar, documents said.

Bertsch was previously arrested in 2009 for allegedly stealing gas, then leading officers on a chase and ramming his car into a patrol car, the Missoulian reported.

Palmer has been a trooper since 2012. He has a wife and two children, and he won the law enforcement agency’s highest honor, the Medal of Valor, in 2015.

The Montana Highway Patrol has reached out on social media to request that no one share unconfirmed rumors regarding Palmer or his condition, particularly regarding any fundraising for the Palmer family.

On Sunday, the Montana Highway Patrol’s Facebook page stated that there was only one official GoFundMe fundraising effort. That page can be found at gf.me/u/ri9spt.

Those wishing to send cards or letters to the Palmer family can do so through the following address: Montana Highway Patrol Headquarters, Attn: Palmer Family, 2550 Prospect Ave., Helena, MT 59620.

This story was completed with information AP articles.