A Phoenix shootout led to the death of one law enforcement official on Monday.
Another police detective was seriously wounded from the incident in northwest Phoenix.
The two officers, who were members of the city's Police Department fugitive-apprehension unit, were immediately transferred to St. Joseph's Hospital after the shooting occurred at about 3:10 p.m., USA Today reported. The fatally injured agent died around two hours after he was brought into the medical facility, while the other official remained in the intensive-care unit through Monday night.
The officers' identities have not yet been released.
Both men were locked in a high-speed chase with a felony suspect on Monday afternoon when the fugitive's vehicle struck another car. The suspect then fled his automobile, shooting at the officers while running away on foot.
Police spokesperson Sgt. Steve Martos told USA Today that the suspect, 28-year-old William R. Thornton, had a warrant out for his arrest. Two unnamed officials close with the inner dealings of the Phoenix Police Department stated the police officers shot and killed the gunman.
Thornton reportedly hopped out of his white sedan after it slammed into a truck at an intersection, then "exchanged gunfire" with police.
Two civilians, a man in his 50s and a woman around 80 years old, were caught in the crossfire. They were sent to a nearby hospital with minor injuries.
According to Arizona Department of Corrections records obtained by USA Today, Thornton served 1-and-a-half years in state prison for resisting arrest and a dangerous-drug violation.
The owner of a shoe store near the location of the incident told USA Today that he was inside his place of business when he heard noises "loud enough to make [me] think they were big guns."
"It sounded like a war was going on," he told USA Today, adding that he heard around eight shots.
© 2025 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
