Phoenix police officer dies after battling medical diagnosis

PHOENIX — A Phoenix police officer died Wednesday morning in the hospital after battling a medical diagnosis since last year, authorities said.

Officer Matthew Litman joined the Phoenix Police Department in May 2019 after serving in the Flagstaff Police Department, according to a statement.

He was battling a tumor on his spinal cord that resulted in little feeling below his chest, according to a GoFundMe page set up in February 2021.

Litman is survived by mother, father, brother, wife and two sons.

He was a patrol officer in the Desert Horizon Precinct.

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