Man sentenced to 14 years in prison for killing suburban Phoenix police officer

PHOENIX — A Tempe man accused of driving drunk and killing a Chandler police officer has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Maricopa County Judge Warren Granville also sentenced 32-year-old Brian Yazzie to seven years of probation on Friday following his release for leaving the scene of a fatal accident.

Prosecutors said Yazzie was intoxicated when his car rear-ended the police motorcycle of Officer David Payne, who was stopped at a red light during the early morning hours of Oct. 31, 2014. Payne was pronounced dead at Chandler Regional Hospital later that morning.

State attorneys said Yazzie had a blood-alcohol level of .326 percent– more than three times the state’s legal limit — and he was driving on a suspended license. At the time of the crash, Yazzie had an 11-month-old child in the car. The child was not injured in the crash.

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said Yazzie’s sentencing proves the state’s “unyielding determination” to hold drunk drivers accountable for their actions.

“Our hearts today are with Officer David Payne’s family and we will forever honor his sworn commitment to protect the community,” he said in a press release.

Yazzie later waived his right to a trial and pleaded no contest to one count of second-degree murder and one count of leaving the scene of a fatal injury accident.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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