2014 NAPO TOP COPS Award/Arizona, Phoenix Police Detective Fabian Gonzales:
On December 28, 2013, Detective Fabian Gonzalez of the Phoenix Police Department responded to an unknown trouble call at the BBVA Compass Bank located at 3348 West Thomas Road in Phoenix, Arizona. His response to this call and subsequent heroic actions saved the life of a fellow Officer and ended a multi-state manhunt for a violent fugitive wanted in connection with the murder of Tupelo, Mississippi Police Sergeant Kevin “Gale” Stauffer and shooting of Officer Joseph Maher. On December 23rd, the Tupelo Officers had responded to a bank robbery in their jurisdiction. During a stop of a suspicious vehicle thought to be related to the bank robbery, the actual suspect (unbeknownst to the officers) was stopped in traffic behind them. The suspect exited his vehicle and ambushed the unsuspecting officers. Investigators would later learn that the subject was also suspected in additional bank robberies in Georgia and Mississippi prior to his arrival in Arizona.
Detective Fabian Gonzalez (known as “Gonzo”), a ten year veteran of the Phoenix Police Department currently assigned to the Department’s Robbery Unit, had been called out from home at 0400 hours on December 28th on an unrelated robbery investigation. At 1000, after nearly six hours of interviews and administrative work, Detective Gonzalez (in plain clothes and driving an unmarked car) left Police Headquarters to return to the scene of the investigation to serve a search warrant. As Detective Gonzalez arrived at the location (1800 block of North 35th Avenue) he heard a “unknown trouble” call come over his police radio; the witness who called police, was in the drive through of a nearby restaurant and had a clear view of the entrance to the bank across the street. He stated an armed subject with a mask had entered the BBVA Compass Bank located at 3448 West Thomas Road after exiting a white car parked in front. Knowing that the bank was less than one mile from his location, Detective Gonzalez immediately left to respond.
Phoenix Police Officer Tylon Wilson, a Patrol Officer assigned to the Maryvale Precinct, had just finished a radio call up the street from the bank when the call for the unknown trouble came out. While en-route and close to arrival, he was flagged down by another witness who explained that she had walked into the bank and fled after observing a masked gunman behind the counter. With this information, Officer Wilson and Detective Gonzalez knew what they were about to face and arrived at the bank within moments of one another. Detective Gonzalez who was entering off West Thomas Road, stopped just past the south entrance to the bank on North 34th Drive. Officer Wilson was pulling into the north entrance (also off of North 34th Drive) when he observed a subject, whose face was covered by a scarf, calmly exit the bank and approach the white car parked in front and put what appeared to be a bag in the front seat. Before he could exit his patrol vehicle, the subject turned towards him, pointed a 45 caliber semi-auto handgun and began shooting, advancing towards his position. The first round struck the windshield, inches from Officer Wilson who was exiting the vehicle in an attempt to take cover.
Detective Gonzalez, who was well over a hundred feet south of Officer Wilson’s position, could see the attack on his friend and colleague. Instinctively and without hesitation, Detective Gonzalez left his position of cover to engage the suspect. From approximately one hundred and twenty three feet, Detective Gonzalez fired his duty weapon at the suspect as he continued to advance on Officer Wilson. Detective Gonzalez fired six shots at the moving suspect, with at least one striking him fatally ending the threat. Detective Gonzalez’s actions, from his initial response to the courageous engagement of the suspect in the ensuing gun battle, rise to the highest standards of the Phoenix Police Department.