Officer killed in Gila River Indian community shooting

INDEPENDENT NEWS MEDIA

A Gila River police officer died Saturday morning while responding to a disturbance at a home in Santan, authorities said.

Joshua Briese, who had been with the department for less than a year and was in field training, was killed. Another officer was hit by gunfire along with four people who were at the scene where multiple shots were fired, according to officials.

Gila River Public Safety Dispatch received an emergency call for service around 2 a.m. June 1 regarding a disturbance at a home in Santan, District 4 of the Gila River Indian Community.

Gila River Police Department officers responded.

“As responding officers worked to resolve the disturbance, which involved a large crowd, multiple shots were fired. Two GRPD officers were struck by gunfire, as were four people at the scene,” the department said in a Facebook post.

All the injured were taken to hospitals. Briese died, and the second officer who was injured remains in serious but stable condition, according to the post.

Another person died, and all the injured are being treated at area hospitals.

“Our hearts and prayers go out to these police officers, their families and everyone affected by this tragic incident,” the department said on Facebook.

The Gila River Police Department is working with the FBI to conduct a joint investigation of “a large scene,” Phoenix FBI spokesman Kevin Smith said in an email.

Arriving officers “found a large crowd where multiple shots had been fired,” a police statement said, and “two officers were hit by gunfire along with four people.”

Officials did not immediately say how many police officers and others were at the home at the time of the shooting, what might have prompted the gunfire, whether officers fired shots or whether anyone had been arrested.

“Nothing cuts deeper than a life cut short,” tribal Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis said in a statement mourning “our fallen and injured police officers and every community member touched by such tragic violence.”

“We are coordinating closely with law enforcement to ensure we have a comprehensive understanding of what happened here,” Lewis’ statement said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

We would like to invite our readers to send their civil comments on this matter. Email [email protected].