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Arizona DPS trooper killed: Suspect charged in trooper's death

Posted at 5:17 PM, Jul 27, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-30 13:31:31-04

A man authorities say fired an Arizona state trooper's gun, killing one trooper and wounding another, has regained consciousness after being placed in a coma.

RELATED: 2018 officer-involved shootings in the Phoenix-metro area

Arizona Department of Public Safety officials confirmed Friday afternoon that 20-year-old Isaac D. King is awake and alert. 

DPS spokesman Bart Graves says King is not expected to be released from the hospital anytime soon. 

PHOTOS: 30 fallen DPS troopers

Agency director Col. Frank Milstead told The Arizona Republic that King had significant injuries when he was hospitalized after Wednesday night's shooting and was put in a medically induced coma.

Milstead says King, who has a history of mental illness, had initially refused treatment. 

He did not detail his injuries. Milstead says doctors treated him anyway for fear "he would not survive."

Official police documents show that King is mentally disturbed and was also under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the incident. 

Authorities say King fatally shot Trooper Tyler Edenhofer while fighting officers along Interstate 10 in Avondale.  

Isaac King is facing multiple charges including first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts aggravated assault, three counts endangerment, and resisting arrest. 

RELATED: What we know about AZ trooper killed in shooting