Officer, civilian killed, 4 others wounded in Arizona reservation shooting: Police
Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on June 1, 2024
(ARIZONA) — An officer and a civilian were killed while another officer and three others were wounded in a shooting incident in the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona early Saturday morning, police said.
Officers were responding to an incident involving a large crowd at a home in Santan, District 4 in the community around 2 a.m. local time, when multiple gunshots were fired, according to the Gila River Police Department.
Six people were shot in total during the incident, including Officer Joshua Briese, who succumbed to his injuries at the hospital, the police said. Briese had been with the force for less than a year and was still in field training, according to the police.
An unidentified person who was shot was also pronounced dead at the scene, police said. An unidentified officer was struck and remains in serious but stable condition at the hospital, according to the police.
The remaining three civilians who were shot were also recuperating at the hospital, the police said.
No suspects have been named and there were no arrests as of Saturday evening, according to investigators.
The investigation into the shooting, which now includes assistance from the FBI, remains ongoing.
Gale River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis offered his condolences to the victims.
“I know I speak for our entire Community when I say that we grieve for our fallen and injured police officers and every Community member touched by such tragic violence. Nothing cuts deeper than a life cut short. We will pray for our officers and their families, and for every Community member, every loved one, and every family impacted by what happened this morning,” he said in a statement.
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