AP, Flagstaff :
A 24-year-old police officer and a suspect died after a shootout Saturday afternoon.
Officer Tyler J. Stewart, 24, died at Flagstaff Medical Center after he was shot by a man who was a suspect in a domestic-violence case, police said. Stewart is the second Flagstaff police officer ever to be killed in the line of duty. On June 21, 2000, Officer Jeff Moritz, 30, was killed after he pulled over a teenager as the teen drove around his neighborhood in a truck playing loud rap music.
Stewart was looking for the man – identified as Robert W. Smith, 28, of Prescott – about 1:30 p.m. in the 800 block of West Clay Avenue when Smith fired several shots at the officer, police said. Smith then shot himself and was pronounced dead at the scene, police added.
Investigators do not believe Stewart fired any shots, but they continue to investigate the matter, Sgt. Margaret Bentzen said.
Stewart was taken to Flagstaff Medical Center in critical condition and later died, police said. Stewart had worked at the department for less than a year, police said. He was a graduate of Boulder Creek High School in Anthem, Arizona, and Concordia College in California, police said.
A 24-year-old police officer and a suspect died after a shootout Saturday afternoon.
Officer Tyler J. Stewart, 24, died at Flagstaff Medical Center after he was shot by a man who was a suspect in a domestic-violence case, police said. Stewart is the second Flagstaff police officer ever to be killed in the line of duty. On June 21, 2000, Officer Jeff Moritz, 30, was killed after he pulled over a teenager as the teen drove around his neighborhood in a truck playing loud rap music.
Stewart was looking for the man – identified as Robert W. Smith, 28, of Prescott – about 1:30 p.m. in the 800 block of West Clay Avenue when Smith fired several shots at the officer, police said. Smith then shot himself and was pronounced dead at the scene, police added.
Investigators do not believe Stewart fired any shots, but they continue to investigate the matter, Sgt. Margaret Bentzen said.
Stewart was taken to Flagstaff Medical Center in critical condition and later died, police said. Stewart had worked at the department for less than a year, police said. He was a graduate of Boulder Creek High School in Anthem, Arizona, and Concordia College in California, police said.
