PHOENIX – The Phoenix Police Department sadly announced the death of Officer Zane Coolidge. He was shot last Tuesday while responding to reports of a vehicle burglary and succumbed to his injuries on Friday.
Coolidge was a five-year veteran of the Phoenix Police Department as well as a husband and a father, AZCentral reported.
“The injuries he sustained after the cowardly acts of another were just too much for him to overcome. Officer Coolidge’s legacy will forever be a part of this Department,” Phoenix police interim Chief Michael Sullivan wrote Friday afternoon in a press release.
The Officer Down Memorial Page honored Coolidge with the following overview:
Police Officer Zane Coolidge succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained three days earlier while responding to reports of a larceny from a motor vehicle near the intersection of 16th Street and McDowell Road at about 6:30 pm.
As officers arrived on scene, the suspect fled on foot and jumped a fence into a backyard. The man then opened fire on officers, striking Officer Coolidge and a second officer before being taken into custody.
Officer Coolidge was transported to a local hospital where he remained until succumbing to his wounds three days later.
The suspect, a multi-times convicted felon who was on parole, has been charged with first-degree murder and illegal possession of a weapon.
Officer Coolidge had served with the Phoenix Police Department for five years. He is survived by his wife and infant daughter.
Officer Matthew Haney was also struck by gunfire during the incident. Fortunately, his ballistic vest protected him from serious harm. He was released from the hospital on Wednesday and is now recovering at home with his family, who have requested privacy.
