A $40,000 reward is being offered for information that will lead to an arrest of whoever shot a Maricopa County Sheriff's Officer deputy who was making a DUI traffic stop in Tempe over the Cinco de Mayo weekend.
The suspect(s) who shot Deputy Bryan Wisda, 31, is still at large, and Sheriff Joe Arpaio said on Monday that his personal friend is offering a $20,000 reward to help catch those who are responsible for the crime.On Tuesday, Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery added an additional $20,000 to the sheriff's reward, bringing it up to a total of $40,000 being offered.
"There was no interaction between the individual who fired the shots and the deputy, which leads to the conclusion that the only reason for the shooting was the deputy's status as a law enforcement officer, and that cannot be tolerated," Montgomery said in a press release. "It will not be open season on law enforcement in Maricopa County."
Investigators say someone in another vehicle fired several shots and fled the scene around 2:14 a.m. on Saturday. Wisda suffered gunshot wounds in the lower part of his body and was transported to the Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center, where he was released on Monday.
"I call it an ambush," Arpaio said on Monday.
The suspect vehicle is described as an older silver Cadillac from the 1980s or 1990s.
"Give up, because my deputies and the police are going to defend themselves and I don't want any more law enforcement officers killed or shot," Arpaio said.
MCSO is asking the public for help with this case. Anyone who has any information on the shooting is asking to contact officials at (602) 876-1011.
