Arizona tribal police officer fired 2 years after being shot in the line of duty
CAMP VERDE, AZ (AZFamily) — A tribal police officer who was shot in the line of duty in 2022 in Camp Verde has been fired by the Yavapai-Apache Nation Police Department.
Preston Brogdon suffered life-threatening injuries in the shooting and has been recovering ever since. Now two years later, Brogdon was notified last month that he was being terminated and would no longer be eligible for the benefits he was receiving as a police officer.
“They bring me to a back room. They tell me it’s been two years. We have to let you go. At least you have disability. That’s the exact words I was told,” Preston Brogdon explained. “All the paperwork they had for me was my 401K. They didn’t have the knowledge or ability to do a hardship withdrawal or to roll it over without me taking a penalty. So I had to take a penalty. Which they made sure to tell the 401K agency that I was terminated, so when I called to ask for a hardship withdrawal, I couldn’t even get that because the paperwork said I was terminated.”
On the night of Feb. 9, 2022, then-Sgt. Brogdon and another officer responded to Camp Verde after reports of gunfire. A short time later, Valentin Rodriguez opened fire on the officers, hitting Brogdon.
Body-cam video shows the officers chasing someone into the brush and giving commands before Rodriguez begins shooting. The officers return fire, but Brogdon is hit, and the video shows his partner dragging him to a patrol car.
The 32-year-old officer was flown to a Phoenix hospital in critical condition, where he underwent multiple surgeries. He was later transferred to a Chandler rehabilitation facility.
Rodriguez was found dead later that same month in the Verde River.
Brogdon’s family set up a GoFundMe page to help with expenses. You can find it here.
Tanya Lewis, Chairwoman of the Yavapai-Apache Nation, told Arizona’s Family “The Yavapai-Apache Nation is unable to comment on employment and workers’ compensation matters involving current and former employees as such matters are strictly confidential.”
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