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Man gets 14 years in Chandler officer death

Posted at 7:43 PM, Dec 04, 2015
and last updated 2015-12-04 21:43:33-05

A Tempe man accused of driving drunk and killing a Chandler police officerhas been sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Maricopa County prosecutors say 32-year-old Brian Yazzie also was sentenced Friday to seven years of probation for leaving the scene of a fatal accident.

Prosecutors say Yazzie was intoxicated when his car rear-ended the police motorcycle of Officer David Payne, who was stopped at a red light on Oct. 31, 2014.

They say Yazzie had a blood-alcohol level of .326 percent -- more than three times the state's legal limit -- and he was driving on a suspended license.

Yazzie later waived his right to a trial and pleaded no contest to one count of second-degree murder and one count of leaving the scene of a fatal injury accident.