Phoenix police commander shot and killed and two other officers shot and wounded
Phoenix — A Phoenix police commander was shot to death and two other officers were shot and wounded Sunday night during a domestic violence call, police said. Commander Greg Carnicle was killed in the incident in a house on the city's north side, reports CBS Phoenix affiliate KPHO-TV.
According to Phoenix police, several roommates at the home got into an argument, the situation escalated and police were called. Carnicle and two officers were dispatched to the scene.
Once they were inside, the suspect opened fire, hitting all three. The other two are expected to recover.
The suspect was barricaded inside the house late Sunday night but more officers made their way in, sources told KPHO. Around 11:40 Sunday night, the sources said the suspect had been shot and was "down." He died, KPHO said.
The sources said the suspect had fired multiple shots at a police drone flying over the area.
Police were asking the public to stay away.
Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams she Carnicle was not only a colleague, but a friend. He was a 31-year veteran of the force.
Williams said she knew him for 30 of those years and worked with him at a local precinct. "Phoenix lost a true hero -- and that person is Greg Carnicle," she said.
He's survived by his wife and four adult children and was just months from retiring.
In a tweet, police said Carnicle "held positions throughout the department including the special assignments unit, K9 and he most recently oversaw all evening and weekend patrol operations."
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego tweeted that, "No words are adequate to express my sadness for Commander Carnicle's family and Phoenix Police. After a decorated career spent keeping Phoenix safe, he had his choice of assignments. He volunteered to be a Night Commander — this is the truest sign of the integrity of his character."
Also on Twitter, Governor Doug Ducey asked the public to "join me in praying for these officers, their families, and the entire Phoenix Police 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 hit by a vehicle. The last Phoenix officers killed by gunfire were Officer David Van Glasser in May 2016 and Detective John Thomas Hobbs in March 2014.
