A deputy was dragged and shot by a suspect in his vehicle in Pima County, Arizona, on Tuesday afternoon before the deputy returned fire, killing him.
Deputy Jose Velasco approached the driver, who then accelerated his vehicle, dragging the deputy, KVOA reported.
After he was dragged, Velasco got on his motorcycle and approached the car again.
Pima County Sheriff’s Department Captain John Stuckey said the unnamed suspect got out of his vehicle at a traffic light and then shot the deputy in the leg, Tuscon.com reported.
Velasco returned fire, killing the suspect, according to KVOA.
The deputy is currently being treated at Banner University Medical Center and has non-life-threatening injuries, the station reported.
After he was shot, Velasco applied a tourniquet to himself. Other officers then rushed in to render aid, 12 News reported.
Other details about the incident are not clear.
The National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund said in a report that traffic stops are notoriously dangerous for police officers. The leading causes for officers being shot and killed in 2017 when they were responding to domestic disturbances and conducting traffic stops. “The leading circumstances of firearms-related fatalities were officers responding to domestic disturbances and conducting traffic stops,” the memorial fund’s 2017 report said.
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