Arizona DPS Trooper Tyler Edenhofer killed in struggle on Interstate 10

Jason Pohl | The Republic | azcentral.com

Show Caption Hide Caption DPS Col. Frank Milstead on struggle that killed 1 trooper, wounded another The director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety identifies the fallen trooper as Tyler Edenhofer, who had graduated from academy on May 4.

A 20-year-old Avondale man is accused of fighting with law enforcement Wednesday night along Interstate 10 in the West Valley and using an officer's gun to shoot two Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers, killing one who had been with the agency for just 52 days.

Department of Public Safety Director Col. Frank Milstead identified the fallen trooper as Tyler Edenhofer, who had graduated from the academy on May 4. Edenhofer, 24, was hired in September by the department after serving in the U.S. Navy and was in his final days of training.

"He was a great man, my pride and joy!" the trooper's mother, Debbie Edenhofer, told The Arizona Republic. "My whole life was him."

Milstead said radio operators started receiving calls about 10:20 p.m. Wednesday about a person who was "in and out of the roadway" on I-10 eastbound near Avondale Boulevard, throwing objects at vehicles.

Passers-by were able to get the man, identified Thursday as Isaac D. King, out of the roadway, Milstead said.

But that did not quell the confrontation.

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'Violent nature of policing'

First to arrive was Trooper Dalin Dorris who almost immediately called for backup, drawing Trooper Sean Rodecap and Edenhofer to the scene. For several minutes, King fought with troopers who tried to take him into custody, Milstead said.

"During the struggle, one of the troopers lost his firearm to the subject, and the subject fired at least two rounds from the duty weapon," Milstead said.

One bullet hit Dorris in the trapezius, near the shoulder. It was a through-and-through wound, meaning the bullet passed through the body, leaving entry and exit wounds, Milstead said. He added that Dorris was in "good spirits considering the circumstances."

Dorris, along with another trooper who was injured in the fight, were treated and released from the hospital Thursday morning.

Edenhofer was also shot in the shoulder, but the bullet "ricocheted" within his body, causing fatal wounds, Milstead said.

“Today is evidence of the violent nature of policing in our nation," Milstead told reporters Thursday afternoon. "It’s also evidence that just because somebody is unarmed doesn’t mean they won’t become armed and harm somebody.”

The gun belonged to Rodecap, who had been training Edenhofer and was wearing a leather, nonretention holster with a snap top affixed to his belt — not a typical duty belt that includes a stronger internal locking feature. He was also dressed casually in a T-shirt and jeans because Edenhofer was in the final days of training when instructors assume more of a bystander role and give more control to the trooper in training, DPS said.

No officers fired their weapons during the fight, officials said.

Officials said King was being treated at a Valley hospital but declined to release further details about his injuries. He does not have a criminal record but did have a "mental health history," Milstead said, adding that the man had been on medication for anxiety and depression.

King's mother told investigators that she last saw him at 9:30 p.m., jumping on a trampoline in the backyard of their Avondale home.

The latest on killing of DPS Trooper Tyler Edenhofer Col. Frank Milstead of Arizona Department of Public Safety gives a press conference on the killing of state trooper Tyler Edenhofer on July. 26, 2018.

'Shots fired, officer hit!'

Emergency radio chatter shows how quickly things unfolded as troopers responded to the otherwise innocuous call. After a few moments of radio silence, some background chatter and a request for backup, a more serious voice came across to dispatchers.

“Shots fired, officer hit!” the trooper reported.

More than six minutes passed before the suspect was taken into custody and put in the back of a patrol car.

Investigation, response, mourning

Commanders and law enforcement from neighboring agencies, including Phoenix, Goodyear and Avondale police departments, worked to cordon off the area, stop freeway traffic and make room for a helicopter to land.

I-10 was closed overnight while investigators worked the scenes, but lanes began to reopen as of 6:30 a.m.

Gov. Doug Ducey ordered flags be lowered to half-staff at all state office buildings until sunset Friday.

“This morning I ask Arizonans to join me in prayer and reflection; in gratitude for Trooper Edenhofer’s service to our state, for the strength and health of Trooper Dorris, for both of their grieving families and for all of our brave law enforcement officers who are mourning the loss of one of their own," Ducey said in a statement. "Arizona stands in support with you all."

An online fundraiser has been created with proceeds set to go to Edenhofer's family. The Republic verified with Debbie Edenhofer that the GoFundMe page is authentic.

DPS is leading the criminal investigation into the shooting and will likely present the case to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. From there, charges could be filed.

Also, the department will conduct an administrative review to determine whether internal policies were followed, or if they could have fallen short and if the troopers adhered to training and best practices.

The shooting was the first time a DPS trooper was killed in the line of duty in five years, spokesman Raul Garcia confirmed. The last death happened on May 6, 2013, when Trooper Timothy Huffman, 47, was fatally struck by a tanker truck on Interstate 8 about 40 miles east of Yuma.

Edenhofer was also the second Arizona police officer to die this year. Nogales Police Officer Jesus “Chuy” Cordova was fatally shot April 27 as he approached a robbery suspect in front of a border-town grocery store.

Edenhofer was the 88th law enforcement officer in the United States to die in the line of duty this year, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a group that tracks police deaths.

Reach the reporter at 602-444-8515, jpohl@azcentral.com or on Twitter: @pohl_jason

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