SHOW LOW, Ariz. (AP) — A police officer was fatally shot Tuesday outside a fast-food restaurant in eastern Arizona, and authorities were negotiating with a barricaded suspect.
Police identified the suspect as Daniel Erickson, 36, of Huachuca City.
Erickson is a convicted felon who has served two prison sentences in Arizona — a four-year term for a drug conviction in 2009 and five months for an endangerment conviction in 2007.
The shooting occurred in Show Low, and Erickson reportedly was holed up in cabin Tuesday night in the nearby Pinetop-Lakeside area.
Highway 260 was closed in the area of the standoff, which is about 10 miles south of Show Low.
Officer Darrin Reed was taken to a hospital in critical condition after the 1:30 p.m. shooting and later died from his injuries, police said.
The police department didn’t immediately release Reed’s age or number of years on the force or a list of his survivors.
Details of how the shooting occurred or if Erickson was being sought by authorities prior to the incident weren’t immediately released by police.
Police said Erickson was seen leaving a Show Low hotel near the scene of the shooting in a vehicle and was dressed in a black leather trench coat and reportedly armed with a silver handgun.
The car Erickson drove from the scene was found abandoned Tuesday evening and he was believed to be driving another vehicle with an Arizona license plate, according to authorities.
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