MURDER OF A POLICE OFFICER

A friend called me this morning and asked if I would put up the story of murdered Gilbert, Arizona Police Lieutenant, Eric Shuhandler.

Lieutenant Eric Shuhandler was shot and killed after stopping a vehicle occupied by two males near the intersection of Val Vista Road and Baseline Road, near the border of Gilbert and Mesa.

After pulling into the parking lot of a strip mall, he was shot by the passenger who had a warrant outstanding. Lieutenant Shuhandler was fatally wounded in the exchange.

Two sergeants from the Mesa Police Department heard the shot and found Lieutenant Shuhandler at the same time as Gilbert police received a 911 call reporting the shooting. He was transported to a local hospital where he died from his wound.

The suspects were located minutes later and a 50-mile high-speed chase began along Highway 60, with several units pursuing the pickup through Phoenix-area communities. The suspects fired several rounds and threw objects from their vehicle at the pursuing officers. The vehicle abruptly stopped in the town of Superior, and both suspects were wounded in an exchange of gunfire with officers from four agencies. Both suspects were arrested at the scene.

Lieutenant Shuhandler had served with the Gilbert Police Department for 16 years. He had previously served with the Manasquan, New Jersey, Police Department for a year and a half and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office for two years as a detention officer and two years as a deputy. He is survived by his two daughters, sister, and parents.

Please visit Officer Down Memorial Page to leave your thoughts and prayers for Lt. Eric Shuhandler. Please keep Eric's family, friends and the men and women of the Gilbert Police department in your prayers.