On Monday, May 23, 2016 at approximately 7:48 a.m., the Flagstaff Police Department responded to an armed suspect, 26 year old Verl Bedonie, of Tuba City, at 201 W. Butler inside the High Country Conference Center.
Officers discovered Bedonie inside the Conference Center, and observed him to be holding a firearm in his right hand. Bedonie was given commands to drop the weapon and left the Conference Center walking west along Butler Avenue towards Milton.
Several officers from the Flagstaff Police Department were called to assist, and as the officers arrived in the area they observed Bedonie, carrying a weapon in his right hand and not complying after he had been ordered to drop the weapon. While walking through the parking lot of the Drury Inn, Bedonie was seen turning towards the pursuing officers and raising his right hand holding the gun, pointing it at one of the officers.
Two Flagstaff Police officers, Cpl. Ben Sandoval and Officer Eric Tomperi fired at Bedonie. Officer Tomperi fired once, and Cpl. Sandoval fired four times. None of these rounds struck Bedonie.
Bedonie then walked across South Milton Rd., with the officers approximately 20 to 30 yards behind him commanding him to stop. Officers had to navigate traffic to keep from being hit as the traffic was congested on Milton at the time.
The officers followed Bedonie from approximately 20 to 30 yards, as they observed him running/ walking along Clay and then onto Florence. At one point Bedonie pointed his gun at a taxi cab driver parked at the carwash located on Clay. Schools in the area were ordered on lockdown by members of the Flagstaff Police Department. The pursuing officers heard what they believed to be a round shot by Bedonie in the alley area between Florence and Park.
An undercover Flagstaff Police Department officer arrived in the area in an unmarked vehicle and as he was traveling north on Park observed Bedonie get into the passenger side of a vehicle driven by a victim who had just gotten into his car. Believing Bedonie would either take the victim hostage or possibly fatally harm the victim, the officer decided to ram the vehicle preventing the vehicle from moving.
Upon later speaking with the carjacking victim, it was discovered Bedonie had pointed the gun at him and demanded to be taken to Phoenix.
When the vehicle was struck, Bedonie who had been in the passenger seat exited the vehicle, walking around the car to the north side of the street. Numerous officers at the scene continued to give commands for Bedonie to drop the gun, which he did not.
At one point, Bedonie raised the gun towards the officers and was immediately shot. The investigation reveals Bedonie fired one round at this scene. Two officers were involved in the shooting resulting in the death of Bedonie. They have been identified as Sgt. Collin Seay with the Flagstaff Police Department, and Officer Dillon Jenkins with the Northern Arizona University Police Department.
It was discovered shortly after the shooting that one of the officer’s rounds penetrated a residence which was behind Bedonie; injuring a dog in the 300 block of Phoenix Avenue. The animal ambulance was called and the dog was taken to the vet for treatment, and is expected to recover after surgery.