CAMP VERDE, AZ — Authorities are looking for a person of interest involved in Wednesday's shooting of a tribal officer near Camp Verde, Arizona.
The FBI is looking for 39-year-old Valentin Rodriguez, who may have information about the police shooting on February 9.
The shooting happened at the Tunli housing area on the Yavapai-Apache Indian Reservation at about 7:30 p.m. Officers were responding to a call of shots fired near State Route 260 and Cherry Creek Road.
The officer shot has been identified as Officer Preston Brogdon, a five-year veteran of the Yavapai-Apache Police Department. He remains in critical but stable condition as of Friday afternoon, according to officials.
The Yavapai-Apache Nation says when officers arrived, a man got out of a vehicle and began shooting at officers. The man fled on foot and has not been located.
Jeramy Fowler lives about a mile and a half away from where the shooting happened. He says he knows officers in that department
“It’s heartbreaking. You know a lot of them being from this small town. So, I was really hoping it wasn’t one of them,” he said.
The tribal officer is now fighting for his life.
“I really hope that he pulls through,” said a man living on tribal land.
“Keep fighting and keep the faith,” said Fowler.
As for the suspected shooter:
“I just hope that they get him, and I hope that they can find him quick, because nobody wants someone like that running around the neighborhoods,” Fowler told ABC15.
Rodriguez, the person of interest, is described as a Hispanic male, 5 feet 9 inches tall, about 160 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He may be a member of or connected to the Yavapai-Apache tribe in Camp Verde.
Anyone with information about Rodriguez’s whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI Phoenix Field Office at (623) 466-1999.
YCSO has since started a fundraising initiative for Brogdon, as well as his wife and four children.
Anyone who would like to make a donation can send checks, money orders/cashier’s checks or bring cash to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office. All checks must be made out to YCSO Employee Fund with Benevolence Fund: In Honor of Officer Brogdon written on the memo line. These funds can be mailed to or brought to 255 E. Gurley St., Prescott, AZ 86301.
