PHOENIX – A Phoenix police commander was killed and two other officers were wounded Sunday night after they responded to calls about a dispute between roommates.
Cmdr. Greg Carnicle, a veteran officer and father of four, was killed. The other officers were expected to recover, the department said.
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Sgt. Mercedes Fortune told reporters that the suspect refused to cooperate and shot the officers shortly after 7 p.m.
The suspect, who has not been identified, was also killed and pronounced dead at the scene, Fortune said. Authorities did not say if the suspect died as a result of officers' gunfire.
"Tonight we lost a true hero. Greg Carnicle was a 31-year veteran of our department," Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams said.
The other two officers who were shot are in stable condition, she said. One of them had surgery while the other one was recovering from her wounds, Williams told the Arizona Republic. The two were not identified.
The department tweeted that Carnicle “held positions throughout the department including the special assignments unit, K9 and he most recently oversaw all evening and weekend patrol operations.”
He's survived by his wife and four children, Fortune said at the news conference.
Col. Frank Milstead, director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety said he was a friend of the slain officer and had served with him in the Phoenix Police Department's traffic bureau.
“I am sadden by the death of my friend @PhoenixPolice Commander Greg Carnicle,” he tweeted.
Mayor Kate Gallego tweeted: “Our thoughts are with the loved ones of these officers and the entire Phoenix Police Department. Please keep these individuals in your thoughts."
Gov. Doug Ducey asked the public to “join me in praying for these officers, their families, and the entire @PhoenixPolice community.”
The most recent death of a Phoenix police officer in the line of duty was in March 2019, when Officer Paul Thomas Rutherford was struck by a vehicle.
The last officers killed by gunfire were Officer David Van Glasser in May 2016 and Detective John Thomas Hobbs in March 2014.