On a Sunday morning in June 2008, Tucson Police Officer Erik David Hite, 43, was killed in a violent ambush after a citywide chase. The incident began when a man opened fire on neighbors’ homes; a Pima County Sheriff’s deputy who first responded was wounded. The gunman fled and a pursuit moved across Tucson, with members of the Tucson Police Department joining the chase.

The suspect continued firing at pursuing officers. When the chase turned off Tanque Verde Road onto Tomahawk Trail, the gunman set up an ambush. As Officer Hite rounded the corner, he was shot in the head from about 80 yards away and died of his wounds the next day, June 2, 2008. The gunman went on to wound another deputy before being taken into custody. In February 2012 the suspect pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison, with the start of that term delayed until he was found competent for release from a state hospital.

If anyone has information about Officer Hite, his final call, or the chase that day, please come forward.