azcentral.com
PHOENIX, Arizona -- Phoenix police Officer Nick Erfle survived two bouts of cancer to put back on his uniform and patrol the city's streets.
On Tuesday, a jaywalker shot him in the face and killed him.
"He's a hard charger. Even though he had a serious illness, he came back to work the streets as soon as he could," Sgt. Joel Tranter said.
"This will affect the officer's family and the Phoenix Police Department forever. . . . It will always be a loss."
The gunman, an illegal immigrant who had been deported last year, fled after shooting Erfle, commandeering a stopped car at gunpoint and ordering the motorist to drive. About an hour later, a Phoenix police tactical team surrounded Erik Jovani Martinez, 22, on a west Phoenix street and shot him dead as he pointed a gun at the hostage. The hostage was not hurt.
Posted by tyne at September 19, 2007