PHOENIX, Arizona: The Arizona Police Association is sounding an alarm after a weeklong surge in Arizona officer-involved shootings that left two Arizona Department of Public Safety aviation personnel dead in a helicopter crash and sent multiple officers to the hospital, according to Arizona’s Family.
The association said the seven incidents occurred across the state in roughly a week, stretching from northern Arizona to the Phoenix metro area. Arizona’s Family reported that officers were shot at first in four of the seven incidents, and that in two others, suspects pointed weapons at officers.
Arizona Police Association President Darrell Kriplean told Arizona’s Family the violence is “very concerning,” urging community leaders, elected officials, and the public to reject attacks on law enforcement. He said officers are increasingly encountering weapons and violence during interactions that would have been routine in the past.
Arizona officer-involved shootings
In Flagstaff, authorities said a domestic violence response escalated into a prolonged rooftop gunbattle that ended with a suspect being taken into custody and an Arizona DPS helicopter crashing during the response. The crash killed Trooper and paramedic Hunter Bennett, 28, and pilot and aviation supervisor Robert Skankey, 61. Investigators said the cause of the crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, and officials said there was no gunfire coming from the helicopter.
The next day, multiple officer-involved shootings occurred in central Phoenix, in which a DPS trooper was shot during a SWAT operation serving a high-risk search warrant at a trailer and RV park. DPS Sgt. Kameron Lee told Arizona’s Family that the suspect began firing as troopers approached, and that troopers returned fire. One sergeant was hit in the shoulder, with an additional injury to the bicep that officials said was not immediately clear as bullet or shrapnel-related.
Officer safety risks during “routine” calls and enforcement actions
Two additional shootings occurred on Tuesday, including a Goodyear case that investigators described as starting as a retail theft call.
Goodyear police were called to a shopping plaza near Interstate 10 and Litchfield Road. Investigators said an officer tried to detain a shoplifting suspect, and a struggle followed. Police said the suspect grabbed the officer’s gun, and a round discharged. Goodyear Police Chief Brian Issitt said the officer was grazed on the right calf. Police said the officer regained control of the gun, but the suspect continued reaching for the officer’s vest and firearm, prompting the officer to shoot the suspect, who died at the scene. The officer was treated and later released, according to the chief.
Kriplean said that officers often have only a split second to make decisions when a threat is perceived. He also pointed to mental health issues as a recurring concern, saying problems are often unaddressed until they reach a crisis point.
What the Arizona Police Association is asking from leaders
The Arizona Police Association said it wants community leaders and elected officials to publicly reject violence against law enforcement and support accountability for those who attack officers.
The association’s message comes amid an already heightened awareness of risk in Arizona policing, with DPS and local agencies managing everything from domestic violence calls to high-risk warrant service and retail theft encounters that can turn dangerous in seconds.
As investigations continue into several of the incidents, officials have emphasized that not all details are immediately available and that some facts will be confirmed only through formal review and reporting.
Field Lessons are offered strictly as general, industry-standard reminders drawn from common safety practices and typical policy considerations. They are not based on any inside knowledge of this specific incident, do not presume what actions were taken, and should not be interpreted as commentary on the decisions made at the scene.
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I applaud the union for taking a public stand on this issue and encourage every union to take a proactive approach to training. Darrell Kriplean has done that and hosted our vital training in the past.
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Law enforcement cannot control the actions of violent criminals, but we can often control outcomes by training designed to predict violence.
Dr. Travis Yates has pioneered a behavioral risk framework to help officers and leaders identify, assess, and articulate risk in rapidly evolving, uncertain situations. Find out more about the FOCUS Behavioral Risk Framework.
