On Thursday June 10, 2021 at approximately 3:11 am, an Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) Trooper was on Interstate 10 near mile post 378 when the trooper observed a silver Chevrolet SUV travelling at approximately 111 miles per hour. The trooper exited his patrol vehicle and contacted the driver; while explaining the reason for the stop, the driver accelerated away, and a pursuit was initiated utilizing emergency lights and siren. The suspect continued driving the vehicle towards Willcox at speeds reaching over 100 miles per hour.
The Willcox Police Department was requested to assist with tire deflation devices which were deployed near mile post 344 on Interstate 10.
Although the suspect ran the deflation devices, he continued to flee. Slowed by punctured tires, the trooper conducted a Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT), which caused the suspect’s vehicle to rotate. During the rotation, the driver fired a handgun at the trooper multiple times, striking the trooper’s vehicle and shooting the trooper.
Troopers and Willcox Police Department Officers conducted a high-risk approach to the vehicle and determined the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle had fled on foot into a residential neighborhood.
The suspect was discovered inside of a vehicle near a residence. Contemporaneously, the homeowner reported to police a suspicious subject at their home. Law enforcement officers responded and surrounded the residence.
The suspect exited the vehicle armed with a handgun and refused law enforcement commands to surrender. Instead, the suspect accessed the front door of the occupied residence with the gun in hand. Due to the extreme violence demonstrated by the suspect and the refusal to obey commands to surrender, law enforcement officers recognized the suspect was an immediate threat to the life and safety of those inside the home; after again attempting to get the suspect to surrender, law enforcement utilized lethal force to protect both the residents and themselves
Law enforcement officers immediately initiated lifesaving measures on the suspect, after which he was transported to a local hospital. He was later pronounced deceased at the hospital.
The suspect has been identified as a 21-year-old male with a last known address in Georgia.
The trooper was transported to University Medical Center in Tucson, where he underwent surgery for his gunshot wound.
The Cochise County Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) was activated with investigators from the Sierra Vista Police Department, Willcox Police Department, Cochise County Sheriff’s Office, and County Attorney Brian McIntyre responding to assist in the investigation.
The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office is conducting the criminal investigation as lead agency with review and oversight from the Cochise County Attorneys’ Office, while DPS will conduct a concurrent internal investigation.