Two dead, including a tribal police officer, in shooting in Gila River Indian community

A police officer and a civilian were killed in a shooting at the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona early on the morning of June 1. According to a statement from the Gila River Police Department, tribal police are working with the Federal Bureau of Investigations to better understand the events.

At 2 a.m. Saturday morning, Gila River Police officers responded to an incident at a home in Santan, District 4 of the Gila River Indian Community. According to the Gila River Police Department, a large crowd was gathered there and several shots were fired. According to the tribal governor, the gathering was a community dance.

Six people were shot in the incident, including two police officers. One of the officers, Joshua Briese, died of his injuries in the hospital, according to police. Briese has been with the department for less than a year and was still in field training.

The second person, an unidentified community member, also died in hospital. The remaining three people are being treated for their condition, according to police. The second officer “remains in serious but stable condition” after surgery.

The Gila River Police Department is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigations to conduct a joint investigation of the incident and is urging anyone who witnessed the incident to contact the Gila River Police Department at (520) 562-7144 as soon as possible.

In response to the fatal shooting, Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis imposed a moratorium on dance events within the community.

“In the interest of the health and safety of the community, it is appropriate to impose a moratorium on permitted and prohibited dancing within the outer boundaries of the reservation,” the moratorium states.

Lewis said in a statement that the tribe is working closely with law enforcement “to ensure we have a complete understanding of what happened here.”

“I know I speak for our entire community when I say we mourn our fallen and injured police officers and every community member affected by such tragic violence,” he wrote. “Nothing hurts more deeply than a life ended prematurely.”

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