State trooper shot dead, another wounded on major interstate

AVONDALE, Arizona — One state trooper was killed and another wounded late Wednesday night  on Interstate 10 in Avondale, outside Phoenix, reports CBS Phoenix affiliate KPHO-TV.

Department of Public Safety Director Frank Milstead told reporters calls began coming in at about 10:30 about someone driving erratically in I-10’s eastbound lanes and throwing things at cars.

Milstead said some motorists were able to pull over to the righthand side to get the suspect out of the roadway. 

A trooper then arrived on the scene, followed by two more, then two from Goodyear, Arizona.

A fight began and lasted several minutes as the troopers tried to take the suspect into custody. During the struggle, one of the troopers lost his service weapon to the suspect, who fired at least two rounds from it, Milstead said. 

One trooper, Dalin Dorris, was shot in the shoulder and taken to a local hospital. Milstead said Dorris was in “good spirits considering the circumstances.”

A second trooper, Tyler Edenhofer, was struck and was killed. Edenhofer had just graduated from the DPS academy on May 4 and was an officer-in-training.

“The DPS family is in mourning. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. Lives have been shattered and ruined and we’re all in a little bit of a state of shock this morning,” Milstead said.

No details were released on any injuries to the suspect or his identity.