A Maricopa County deputy is fighting for his life after he was shot early Tuesday morning before the suspected gunman was found dead following a pursuit.
The incident began around midnight Monday when the sheriff's office received a called from a woman concerned about her ex-boyfriend's welfare and gave a description of his vehicle, according to KNXV-TV.
Deputy Ruben Garcia was near 83rd Avenue and Deer Valley Road in Peoria when he spotted the silver pickup truck and attempted to pull it over to talk to the man.
The stop occurred in the parking lot of a shopping center where witnesses reporting hearing gunfire before the pickup truck sped away.
Peoria police officers responded to the scene and the Garcia, a 29-year veteran of the force, was transported to a local hospital by ambulance where he was listed in critical condition.
Officials described the veteran deputy's injuries as being "life-threatening."
The officers went in pursuit of the suspect and caught up with the pickup truck in a desert area when he began to fire shots at them.
They returned fire, striking the truck, which suddenly came to a stop.
The suspect didn't respond to commands and a SWAT unit that responded to the scene found the suspect, identified as 54-year-old Donald Miller Sr., dead inside the vehicle.
Officials said it wasn't clear if the suspect was killed by shots fired by the officers or by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The incident is currently under investigation.
Officer.com will provide more information on this story as it becomes available.
