Trooper killed in line of duty was a newlywed and in the early stages of his career

Pennsylvania state Trooper Landon Weaver was a newlywed, married in June, and he was in the early stages of a career in law enforcement.

The 23-year-old trooper — who served for just over a year with state police at Huntingdon — was killed in the line of duty Friday evening while responding to a domestic complaint.

The suspect, Jason Robison, was shot and killed after making threats to police who located him Saturday morning, authorities said.

Weaver’s death, the 97th state trooper to be killed in the line of duty, caused both the law enforcement and local community to mourn together via social media.

“Words can’t express the sorrow and grief we feel for the family of Trooper Weaver,” Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge President Les Neri said. “His tragic passing is a reminder of the dangers that the men and women in law enforcement face each and every day. We will always remember his passion, dedication and sacrifice. We join with the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association in praying for the safety of those who continue to protect our commonwealth’s communities.”

Gov. Tom Wolf in a statement said Weaver will be remembered for “his bravery, his sacrifice, and his willingness to serve.”

The Altoona Police Department posted on Facebook in the early hours of the investigation.

“We here at the Altoona Police Department would like to ask everyone to Keep the Pennsylvania State Police in their thoughts and prayers,” the post said.

The Spring Township Police Department expressed its condolences .

“We ask all members of the community to keep them in your thoughts and prayers. God speed Trooper. We will take the watch from here. Absolutely tragic.”

Robison, 32, made his feelings toward law enforcement known on his Facebook page less than two weeks before Friday’s shooting.

“The only good cop is a dead cop,” he said in a Dec. 17 post, which was on Facebook until it was deleted early Saturday. The post included images of a police cruiser that had crashed and another of an injured police officer.

Police say that Robison shot and killed Weaver at about 6:30 p.m. Friday when the officer responded to a “domestic-related incident.” Details of that complaint were not immediately available, and Reed did not immediately know who owned the home where Weaver was killed.

The search for Robison was focused on an area around the home and nearby Raystown Lake. He was found at an unoccupied mobile home in the area, authorities said.

He had been arrested more than a dozen times in the county, on charges that included making threats, assault, theft and driving on a revoked license. Robison last appeared in court on Dec. 16, when he was released on theft and driving charges after posting $10,000 bail.

The nation has seen an uptick in law enforcement officers killed this year, amid worries that anti-police sentiment is leading to increased attacks on officers. By Dec. 29, 135 officers had been killed in the line of the duty, a 10 percent jump from the year before, according to The Washington Post's Mark Berman and Kevin Uhrmacher. Of those slain officers, 64 were shot, a 56 percent increase pushed up by a surge in ambush attacks.

Weaver's death happened two years after the ambush of two other Pennsylvania State Police troopers, which left one injured and the other dead.

The Associated Press and The Washington Post contributed.

This story was originally published December 31, 2016 at 11:05 AM with the headline "Trooper killed in line of duty was a newlywed and in the early stages of his career."