UPDATE: Yavapai-Apache officer in critical condition

Law enforcement officers gathered at the Conoco station on State Route 260 after a Yavapai-Apache officer was shot. (The Verde Independent/Vyto Starinskas)

Law enforcement officers gathered at the Conoco station on State Route 260 after a Yavapai-Apache officer was shot. (The Verde Independent/Vyto Starinskas)

A Yavapai-Apache Police officer was shot after an altercation in Camp Verde Wednesday, Feb. 9.

The officer was flown to Honor Health Deer Valley Medical Center for treatment. According to an announcement by the Yavapai-Apache Nation Thursday morning, the officer is in critical but stable condition.

The FBI has taken over the investigation as the suspect remains at large.

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Officers organized overnight to hunt for a suspect in the shooting of a Yavapai-Apache Police officer. (The Verde Independent/Vyto Starinskas)

The YAPD was called to a report of shots fired in the area of Cherry Creek Road and State Route 260, according to the report. When they arrived, a male exited a vehicle and fled on foot while shooting at the officers.

After the officer was wounded, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office dispatch was called for assistance around 7:45 p.m., according to YCSO. Local, county and state law enforcement officers converged on the scene, initially setting up a mobile command at the Conoco gas station to organize the search for the subject.

The FBI is partnering with YCSO in investigating the incident. In a statement, the FBI asked the public to “remain vigilant and to promptly report suspicious activity.”

The YAPD asks anyone with information to call 928-554-8370.

“Violence against anyone is unacceptable, but when it is against those that are out there solely to serve and protect others, it is particularly egregious and intolerable” YCSO Sheriff David Rhodes said in a prepared statement. “We are committed to working with our criminal justice partners to find the person who shot this fellow officer and bring that person to face justice. I personally want to thank all the law enforcement officers who responded immediately and without hesitation to call for help and thank the public for all the well-wishes and prayers.”


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