Tuesday marks 5 years since an Arizona trooper was shot, killed on I-10 in Avondale

AVONDALE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — July 25 has become a painful memory for the Arizona Department of Public Safety. 5 years ago, Trooper Tyler Edenhofer was shot and killed while responding to a call on Interstate 10 in Avondale.

Shortly after 10 p.m. on Wednesday, July 25, 2018, DPS troopers and police officers from nearby cities were dispatched to the area of I-10 near Avondale Boulevard in Avondale for reports that a man was throwing things at passing vehicles on the interstate.

Troopers quickly found a suspect and tried to take him into custody, but he fought back. A few minutes into the struggle, the suspect took a gun from a trooper’s holster and fired two shots. Edenhofer and another trooper were shot and rushed to a hospital. Trooper Edenhofer died a short time later.

Trooper Edenhofer was a Navy veteran who had graduated from the State Trooper Academy three months before the shooting. That night was also supposed to be his last night of Field Training. He was only 24 years old and engaged to be married.

Other officers took the suspect, Isaac King, into custody. King’s trial has been postponed multiple times for mental competency hearings. Court records show King is scheduled to stand trial in February 2024.

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