A Cornville man, Kerry M. Wright, is in custody after a stand off with Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office deputies.
According to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, on February 12, 2023, deputies responded to a 911 call from a resident in the S. Aspaas neighborhood of Cornville. The caller reported that there was a shooting at the residence, and urgent help was needed from both law enforcement and emergency medical services.
Initially, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) was notified that one of the occupants inside the residence had been shot. Deputies arrived and attempted to negotiate the surrender of the alleged shooting suspect, but he refused to surrender and took up a position inside the house to prevent an arrest.
Knowing there was a potential victim with life-threatening injuries inside, a sergeant and two deputies quickly organized an emergency extraction of the wounded victim, whom they learned had suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was not able to escape the house on his own.
Deputies maneuvered through the residence and rescued the victim who was subsequently flown to the Flagstaff Medical Center for emergency treatment. As of Sunday evening, he was reported to be in critical condition undergoing surgery for his wounds.
SWAT teams arrived to take over the scene. The suspect, later identified as the 59-year-old Wright, continued to refuse to come out of the house and told negotiators several times that he would “shoot it out” with Deputies. At one point during the negotiations, Wright fired a shot from inside the house striking the windshield of one of the armored SWAT vehicles on scene. No personnel were injured.
After several hours, Wright surrendered at approximately 7:00 p.m. He was taken by ambulance to Verde Valley Medical Center as a precaution prior to being booked into jail.
Wright was charged with Attempted Homicide, numerous counts of Aggravated Assault on Law Enforcement, and Aggravated Assault per domestic violence. He is being held without bond.
“It is during these times; I am reminded of the selfless sacrifice of our men and women in law enforcement. Each day they stand in front of evil to protect our ability to enjoy the freedoms we hold so dear. I want to thank the men and women who responded from the Sheriff’s Office, as well as the Verde Valley Multi-Agency SWAT.” Sheriff David Rhodes.