Police: Body found floating in Verde River believed to be suspect in officer shooting

PHOENIX (AP) — A body found in the Verde River is believed to be a suspect in the shooting of an officer, said police in central Arizona.

The body has not yet been formally identified but personal items show the man may be Valentin Rodriguez, 39, said the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office and Yavapai-Apache Nation Police Department in a Friday statement.

Rodriguez has been a suspect in the Feb. 9 shooting of Yavapai-Apache police Sgt. Preston Brogdon. A bullet went through Brogdon’s vest and belt, punctured his small intestine and shattered his pelvis and hip, Bailey Brogdon told reporters in Camp Verde last week. She said she expected her husband to make a full recovery.

Brogdon was shot after officers responded to reported gunfire on the Yavapai-Apache Nation in the Verde Valley area. The suspect got out of a vehicle and fled while shooting at officers, tribal officials said in a statement.

An arrest warrant was issued for Rodriguez and a federal criminal complaint charged him with assaulting two tribal officers and discharging a firearm in a violent crime.

On Feb. 25 around 4 p.m., a father and son were fishing when they spotted the body, authorities said. The cause of death is not yet known.

PHOENIX (AP) — A body found in the Verde River is believed to be a suspect in the shooting of an officer, said police in central Arizona.

The body has not yet been formally identified but personal items show the man may be Valentin Rodriguez, 39, said the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office and Yavapai-Apache Nation Police Department in a Friday statement.

Rodriguez has been a suspect in the Feb. 9 shooting of Yavapai-Apache police Sgt. Preston Brogdon. A bullet went through Brogdon’s vest and belt, punctured his small intestine and shattered his pelvis and hip, Bailey Brogdon told reporters in Camp Verde last week. She said she expected her husband to make a full recovery.

Brogdon was shot after officers responded to reported gunfire on the Yavapai-Apache Nation in the Verde Valley area. The suspect got out of a vehicle and fled while shooting at officers, tribal officials said in a statement.

An arrest warrant was issued for Rodriguez and a federal criminal complaint charged him with assaulting two tribal officers and discharging a firearm in a violent crime.

On Feb. 25 around 4 p.m., a father and son were fishing when they spotted the body, authorities said. The cause of death is not yet known.