On-duty suburban Phoenix police officer killed in hit-and-run
Oct 31, 2014, 6:44 AM | Updated: 3:23 pm
A Chandler police officer was killed in a car accident early Friday morning, the department’s second such loss in a week.
Officer David Payne, 37, was sitting on his motorcycle at Chandler Boulevard near Dobson Road at 12:40 a.m. when he was hit from behind.
The driver of that car, Brian Yazzie of Tempe, was arrested about a half-mile from the site. An 11-month-old infant was also in the car.
Yazzie, 31, was charged with manslaughter, hit and run and endangerment. Police said he was driving on a suspended license for a DUI charge.
Gov. Jan Brewer ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff in Payne’s memory.
Payne, with the department for seven years, worked with the DUI traffic unit. He died at a hospital shortly after the accident. He was a single father to a 10-year-old and his girlfriend is expecting their baby in January.
Twelve years ago, another officer was killed at the intersection.
Earlier in the week, an off-duty officer, Bryant Holmes, was killed while riding his motorcycle near Baseline and Recker roads.
A Chandler restaurant, Social Box, said it would donate 10 percent of sales through Sunday to the families.