In the warm evening of early September, a call came in about a man attempting to break into a vehicle near 16th Street and McDowell Road in Phoenix. Responding to the call were Phoenix Police Officer Zane Coolidge and his partner, Officer Matthew Haney. Upon their arrival at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 3rd, the suspect fled on foot. The officers gave chase, pursuing the man into a backyard where he opened fire on them.
Both officers were struck by the gunfire.
Officer Coolidge, a 29-year-old and a five-year veteran of the department, was critically wounded. He was rushed to a local hospital where he fought for his life for three days, surrounded by his loved ones. Tragically, he succumbed to his injuries on Friday, September 6th. His partner, Officer Haney, was wounded but was saved from more serious injury by his ballistic vest and was later released from the hospital to recover at home. Officer Coolidge was a husband and a father to a 5-month-old daughter. He was remembered by his colleagues as a dedicated officer who served as a Field Training Officer, training new recruits.
Shortly after the shooting, police arrested 41-year-old Saul Bal nearby and recovered a firearm believed to have been used in the incident. Bal, a convicted felon who was on parole at the time of the shooting, was initially arrested on multiple felony charges including attempted homicide. Following Officer Coolidge's death, the charges against Bal were upgraded to first-degree murder. He also faces an attempted murder charge for the shooting of Officer Haney. Court documents indicated that body camera footage shows Bal as the shooter.
