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Officer-involved shooting under investigation in Willcox

Posted at 10:13 PM, Sep 29, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-30 15:31:02-04

WILLCOX, Ariz. (KGUN9-TV) -- The Cochise County Sheriff's Department is investigating an officer-involved shooting in Willcox.

According to Carol Capas, a spokesperson for the department, it happened around 8:20 p.m.
 
Capas said a Willcox Police Department officer noticed a car traveling without headlights and tried to stop the vehicle in the 400 block of N. Haskell Avenue.
 
The 69-year-old suspect stopped, got out of the car and approached the officer before getting back into his car and leaving the area, Capas said.
 
The car took off again and the officer chased the vehicle, Capas said. A second officer joined the pursuit, Capas said, and the driver stopped in front of a home in the 400 block of N. Cochise. 
 
The sheriff's department says the driver got out of the car again, pointed a handgun at one of the officers, firing once. Capas said the officers then fired back. 
 
One officer was struck in the upper chest area and his ballistic vest deflected the bullet and it hit his collar bone, Capas said. 
 
Both the officer and the suspect were transported to nearby hospitals with non-life threatening injuries. 
 
The two officers involved are on paid administrative leave as the investigation is ongoing.
 
The Willcox Police Officer who was shot was evaluated at the hospital and was released early this morning.
 
The suspect remains in a Tucson hospital.