Police take into custody suspect in shooting of detective in downtown Phoenix
By Tina Burnside, CNN
The Phoenix Police Department has taken into custody a suspect who fled after allegedly shooting and wounding a Scottsdale detective during a special assignment Friday night.
Kenneth Hearne, 37, the “armed and dangerous” suspect who police said fled from a two-story balcony after firing on officers, was apprehended Saturday night, according to Phoenix Police.
After being spotted by law enforcement, Hearne allegedly produced a gun and officers opened fire, according to Phoenix Police Department spokesperson Philip Krynsky. Hearne was shot and is in “extremely critical” condition, Krynsky said.
“The only person injured in this was Hearne, who was taken to the hospital,” said Krynsky.
Police had been searching for Hearne for about 20 hours. The incident began when detectives attempted to execute a search warrant at an apartment complex in downtown Phoenix just after 7 p.m. local time on Friday.
The suspect, identified as Hearne, was sought for a number of criminal offenses, Scottsdale Police Chief Jeff Walther said during a press conference late Friday.
When officers arrived at the apartment, they encountered a woman and child who told officers there was no one else there. Detectives entered the apartment and spotted the suspect, who went into another room and began firing at detectives through the wall, Walther said.
A Scottsdale detective, who has not been identified, was shot once in the abdomen. He was rushed to the hospital and is “expected to make a full recovery,” Scottsdale Police said, adding that the sergeant “is doing extremely well.”
Phoenix Police are leading the investigation into the Friday shooting.
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CNN’s Andy Rose and Alaa Elassar contributed to this report.
