The Nevada Police department has a total of nine officers.

While this may not be uncommon in Iowa, said Police Chief Michael Tupper, having two officers working at a time is a “luxury.”

Unfortunately, this means that sometimes officers have to respond to situations in a less-than-ideal manner, Tupper said.

These were precisely the circumstances surrounding contact initiated by a Nevada police officer with Tony Hayes, of Ames, who was suspected of fatally shooting his girlfriend at the Casey’s General Store, 428 Lincoln Way, in Ames.

“The officer that responded, Kailen Fitzgerald, was in his car. The second officer was inside the police department with a citizen, taking a report,” Tupper said. “Fitzgerald was fairly close to Lincoln Highway and was going out, so that if anyone came into town he would see.”

As he drove west on Lincoln Highway, Tupper said, Fitzgerald saw Hayes on a bicycle, heading east toward Nevada.

“[Fitzgerald] felt it was appropriate for him to immediately confront [Hayes] to keep him from getting further into town, and possibly into residential areas, where he could cause more problems,” Tupper said.

“In a perfect world, there would have been two officers, but as events evolve we’re not always able to control circumstances.”

As Fitzgerald came upon Hayes, Tupper said, Hayes brandished a gun and Fitzgerald had to get out of his cruiser and use the car as a shield during the ensuing gunfight.

“They were circling the vehicle, doing a little dance, if you will, around the police car,” Tupper said.

During the gunfight, Tupper said, Fitzgerald had to be mindful of both oncoming traffic and a nearby home.

Fitzgerald had left the keys in the ignition in his haste to take cover and as they circled the car Hayes managed to climb through the passenger side of the police cruiser and drive away.

The Nevada Police Department released the video from the high-speed police chase that led officers from multiple departments through Nevada and east on Highway 30, where the chase ended just east of State Center.

According to the video, officers made a circuitous route through Nevada, averaging about 40 miles per hour and then sped up to about 70 miles per hour while on the highway.

Officers were dispatched to block traffic and, according to the video, the Marshalltown police deployed the stop sticks that eventually ran the stolen cruiser off the highway and into a ditch on its north side.

Multiple officers ordered Hayes out of the vehicle but received no response.

However, the video does not show officers discovering Hayes dead in the stolen police car, because the officer whose car was recording the video had to leave the scene and drive a short way east on Highway 30 to ensure that onlookers who had been climbing out of their vehicles got back into them.

Tupper said it was regrettable that the police car was stolen, but he felt that Fitzgerald made the right decision.

“You know, it’s easy to armchair quarterback these things and there are a lot of people in the community that are questioning what Fitzgerald did,” said Hayes.

“Officer Fitzgerald did the best he could with the situation.”

According to an Ames police department press release, there was no exchange of gunfire after Hayes was chased off the road.

Ames Police Cmdr. Jim Robinson said, in an interview on July 27, after the shooting that Hayes was found dead of what officers believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.