Man sentenced to life term for killing of Iowa state trooper

GRUNDY CENTER, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for fatally shooting an Iowa State Patrol trooper last year during a standoff and shootout with police. The mandatory sentence was handed down Monday, a little more than a month after a jury found 42-year-old Michael Lang guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder and assaulting a police officer for his actions on April 9, 2021, that killed patrol Sgt. Jim Smith. Smith was shot as he led a tactical team into Lang’s home to arrest him following Lang’s assault of another officer during a traffic stop that day. Smith was a 27-year patrol veteran. Judge Joel Dalrymple also ordered Lang to pay $150,000 in restitution to Smith’s estate.