A Phoenix police call about a man attempting to break into a vehicle near 16th Street and McDowell Road on the evening of Tuesday, September 3rd ended with gunfire that killed Officer Zane Coolidge. Officer Coolidge, 29 and a five-year veteran who served as a Field Training Officer, and his partner Matthew Haney chased the suspect into a backyard after he fled on foot. Both officers were struck; Coolidge was critically wounded, taken to a local hospital, and died on Friday, September 6th. Haney survived and was released to recover at home.

Police arrested 41-year-old Saul Bal nearby and recovered a firearm believed to be the weapon used. Bal, a convicted felon on parole, was initially booked on multiple felony counts including attempted homicide; after Coolidge’s death the investigation’s charges were upgraded to first-degree murder and include attempted murder for the shooting of Officer Haney. Court documents say body camera footage shows Bal as the shooter.

Does anyone have information about the events near 16th Street and McDowell Road that evening or about the suspect’s movements before the encounter?