In the small community of Whiteriver, Arizona, a routine traffic stop on the evening of June 2, 2022, escalated into a tragic series of events that ended with the death of a police officer and his assailant. White Mountain Apache Police Officer Adrian Lopez, a 35-year-old male, was conducting the stop on East Fork Road when an altercation broke out with the driver of the vehicle. During the struggle, the driver fatally shot Officer Lopez.
The suspect, identified as 25-year-old Kevin Dwight Nashio, then fled the scene, taking Officer Lopez's patrol vehicle. This initiated a frantic 40-mile pursuit through the rugged terrain of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. The chase culminated in a 'rolling gun battle' between Nashio and pursuing officers. After crashing the stolen police car near Hawley Lake, Nashio engaged in a second gunfight with law enforcement. In this final exchange of gunfire, another officer, Sergeant Lonnie Thompson, was wounded, and Nashio was killed. The FBI has taken the lead in the investigation into the shootings.
Adrian Lopez had been with the White Mountain Apache Police Department for only five months. Prior to his service in Whiteriver, he had been a federal Bureau of Indian Affairs police officer and was a veteran of the U.S. Army, having served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is survived by his wife and two children. In the wake of his death, Officer Lopez was remembered by his colleagues as a kind and hardworking officer who fit in from the very beginning. His body was transported to his hometown of Los Angeles for burial.
