An Arizona trooper was shot and the suspect killed early Thursday in an incident that began with a traffic stop in Cochise County.
Officials say the trooper observed a silver Chevrolet SUV travelling at speeds up to 111 miles per hour on Interstate 10 at about 3 a.m.
During the traffic stop, the driver fled, and the trooper pursued with lights and siren.
As the suspect neared the town of Wilcox at high speed, he ran over tire deflation devices deployed by the Wilcox Police, KGUN reports.
Officials say the suspect drove on with punctured tires, and fired a handgun at law enforcement multiple times, striking a law enforcement vehicle and shooting the trooper who originally pulled the suspect over.
Eventually, the vehicle was disabled and the suspect fled on foot. The suspect sought access to the front door of an occupied residence with gun in hand, officials say.
The Cochise County Sheriff's Office wrote in a release, "Due to the extreme violence demonstrated by the suspect and the refusal to obey commands to surrender, law enforcement officers recognized the suspect was an immediate threat to the life and safety of those inside the home; after again attempting to get the suspect to surrender, law enforcement utilized lethal force to protect both the residents and themselves. Law enforcement officers immediately initiated lifesaving measures on the suspect, after which he was transported to a local hospital. He was later pronounced deceased at the hospital."
The trooper was transported to a hospital in Tucson, where he underwent surgery for his gunshot wound and is expected to fully recover.
