In the late hours of a Wednesday evening, the life of 24-year-old Arizona Department of Public Safety Trooper Tyler James Edenhofer was tragically cut short. It was July 25, 2018, and what began as a response to reports of a man throwing objects at vehicles on Interstate 10 near Avondale, Arizona, escalated into a fatal encounter. For Edenhofer, a U.S.
Navy veteran, it was his last night of field training, having graduated from the police academy only a few months prior.
Trooper Edenhofer, along with his field training officer and other troopers, responded to the scene where they found 20-year-old Isaac King. An attempt to take King into custody resulted in a prolonged physical struggle. During the altercation, King managed to gain control of one of the troopers' firearms. He fired two shots, one of which fatally wounded Trooper Edenhofer. Another trooper was also struck by a bullet but survived his injuries. Edenhofer was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The suspect, Isaac King, who had a history of mental illness and was reportedly under the influence at the time, was taken into custody at the scene. He was initially charged with first-degree murder. The legal proceedings that followed revealed that King had been experiencing a psychotic break and was on the highway throwing rocks in an attempt to get help from the police. Years later, as part of a plea agreement, King pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder. In 2025, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the death of Trooper Edenhofer and the assault on the other trooper.
