A Phoenix officer and a suspect accused of opening fire on that officer both were listed in critical condition Thursday night, police said.
Police have not identified the officer or the suspect.
The officer was attempting a traffic stop around 8 p.m. local time near the intersection of Cactus and Cave Creek roads when the suspect fired two shots, witnesses told police.
“I don’t know how many times he was shot,” a police spokesperson said, referring to the officer. “Don’t know anything about the suspect.”
The officer had been on the force for about a year, the spokesperson said.
“It’s one of those things that we say a lot — we don’t know what’s going to happen when you put on the uniform that night,” the spokesperson added. “You come to work, and you hope for the best.”
The officer was fired on after leaving his police cruiser to approach the suspect’s halted vehicle, Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams said later at the hospital.
“In my opinion, I believed he was ambushed,” Williams said. “The suspect is in surgery, and our officer is being watched.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
