Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has ordered that flags at all state office buildings be lowered to half-staff from sunrise until sunset Tuesday, December 2, 2014, in honor of Navajo Nation Police Officer Ernest Montoya.
On November 30, Officer Montoya suffered a fatal heart attack while transporting a prisoner to the reservation’s jail facility in Dilkon, Arizona.
He had just arrested the man and was driving to the jail when he suffered the heart attack, causing his vehicle to leave the roadway.
Officer Montoya, age 54, had served with the Navajo Division of Public Safety for 19 years.
The governor has ordered that flags also be lowered on the day of his interment, for which services are pending.