Police detective in stable condition after two masked men shot her in Laveen

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- Phoenix police say a detective was ambushed and shot multiple times in a Laveen neighborhood on Tuesday. Investigators say she is in stable condition and should make a full recovery.

Officers were called out to 43rd Avenue and Baseline Road just after 12 p.m. A Phoenix police detective was sitting inside an undercover vehicle following up on a crime gun investigation when another car with two men inside slowed down and pulled up beside her. Officers say the driver then kept going, turned back around and parked behind the detective’s car. Two men with masks then got out of the car with guns. Police say the detective saw the men coming up in her rearview mirror, and she quickly put on her ballistic vest and grabbed her gun. One of the men stood in front of her car, and the other stood outside her passenger’s side door and began shooting. Police say the detective was shot multiple times as she was getting out of her car and couldn’t return fire because of her injuries.

Officers say the two men ran back into their car and took off. The detective called for backup, and several units then found the suspect’s vehicle at a home near 33rd Avenue and Baseline Road. The two men were taken into custody at the house. No other officers were injured. “Another sad day for a department and our city as yet another Phoenix Police officer has been shot in the line of duty,” said Phoenix Police Executive Assistant Chief Michael Kurtenbach. “This officer who was shot represents all that is good in law enforcement.”

Phoenix Police Executive Assistant Chief Michael Kurtenbach says the officer was shot multiple times and her ballistic vest likely helped save her life.

Call to action

“As a city, we need to do better,” Kurtenbach said during a news conference around 3:15 p.m., flanked by various city officials. He said both Mayor Kate Gallego and Police Chief Jeri Williams are out of town. “We have to address this crime that is plaguing our officers and our city,” Kurtenbach said. Tuesday’s injured officer is the ninth officer shot since December. Police said homicide rates are up 24% compared to a year ago and homicides with guns are up 45%. “As the fifth-largest city in the country, we must do better supporting our officers and ensuring these guns are taken out of the hands of violent criminals,” said Phoenix City Councilwoman Ann O’Brien.

This is the 29th officer-involved shooting in Maricopa County in 2022 and the 45th overall in the state.

Neighbors say they're concerned about growing violence in the area after Tuesday's shooting that left one officer hurt.

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