A police officer was fatally shot and another was flown to a hospital after a traffic stop led to a car chase and “gun battle” on the Fort Apache Reservation in eastern Arizona. The suspect was also killed, authorities said.
In a news release, the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office said the incident began just after 7 p.m. local time (10 p.m. EST) Thursday when a White Mountain Apache police officer conducted a traffic stop in Whiteriver.
“An altercation occurred between the officer and the person operating the vehicle,” the sheriff’s office said. “During the altercation, the officer was fatally shot.”
The suspect then took the officer’s police vehicle and fled the scene, with White Mountain Apache police officers following in pursuit.
The chase went through “very remote areas” of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, which is home to the White Mountain Apache Tribe, to the Hawley Lake area, where police said a “gun battle” between officers and the suspect ensued.
A second officer was wounded during the shootout and the suspect was killed. The officer was flown to a Phoenix-area hospital for treatment.
