In the early morning hours of July 13, 2014, the life of David Brandstetter, a 26-year-old male and U.S. Army veteran, came to a tragic end on a residential street in Fountain Hills, Arizona. Just after midnight, multiple 911 calls reported a naked man, later identified as Brandstetter, walking erratically in and out of traffic, causing drivers to swerve to avoid him.
One motorist who stopped to check on him reported that Brandstetter attempted to enter their vehicle, prompting them to flee the scene.
A Maricopa County Sheriff's lieutenant with 29 years of service, Markley Johnson, was one of the officers who responded to the calls. He located Brandstetter, who lived about a mile from where he was found, and stopped to investigate his bizarre behavior. According to the Sheriff's Office account, Brandstetter then opened the door of the lieutenant's patrol car, physically assaulted him with punches, and demanded his service weapon.
A struggle for the firearm ensued, and during the confrontation, Lieutenant Johnson fired his weapon, striking Brandstetter. Paramedics were called to the scene, but David Brandstetter was pronounced dead from his injuries. The official statement from the Sheriff's Office suggested that Brandstetter's actions left the deputy with no other choice.
Brandstetter had been honorably discharged from the U.S. Army just over a year before the incident. He was a married father of three children and was employed as an air conditioning technician. An obituary noted that he had distinguished himself by becoming an Army Ranger during his military service. The officer involved in the shooting was not arrested, which is standard procedure in such cases pending an investigation.
