Sergeant Richard Lopez, 51, a 14-year veteran of the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, was killed in Cordes Lakes, Arizona, in late June while responding to a reported theft in the area of Stagecoach Trail and Red Rock Road. Witnesses reported seeing a man chase Sergeant Lopez and then a gunshot. Neighbors found him unresponsive in the street; deputies provided lifesaving aid and he was airlifted to a Phoenix hospital, where he later died surrounded by family after emergency surgery.

Authorities say the shooter fled to a nearby home and barricaded himself; a prolonged standoff ended when 61-year-old Mayer resident Robert McDowell surrendered and was arrested and booked on a charge of first-degree murder. Lopez is remembered as a husband, father of two daughters, mentor, and regular participant in the Shop With A Cop program, and his patrol car was left as a community memorial.

If anyone witnessed the incident or has information about the moments leading up to the shooting, please come forward.