In the early morning hours of February 19, 2007, a routine traffic stop in Glendale, Arizona, took a tragic turn, ending the life of 24-year-old Police Officer Anthony Jon Holly. A two-year veteran of the Glendale Police Department and a U.S. Air Force veteran, Holly was responding as backup to a fellow officer who had pulled over a small sedan with three people inside near 60th Avenue and Camelback Road.
The initial stop was for a suspected registration violation.
The driver of the vehicle was removed and arrested on outstanding warrants. As the officers were dealing with a male passenger, the situation escalated dramatically. The passenger, identified as Bryan Wayne Hulsey, suddenly exited the car, produced a handgun, and opened fire. Officer Holly was struck in the face by the gunfire. His partner returned fire, wounding Hulsey.
Officer Holly was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix, where he was pronounced dead. The shooting marked a somber moment for the Glendale Police Department, as it was the first time an officer had been killed in the line of duty. The two other occupants of the vehicle were taken into custody at the scene, and the wounded suspect, Hulsey, was apprehended.
In the aftermath, the community mourned the loss of the young officer. The man responsible for Officer Holly's death, Bryan Wayne Hulsey, was later convicted of murder. In August 2014, he was sentenced to death. However, in January 2018, the Arizona Supreme Court overturned the death sentence due to a violation of Hulsey's due-process rights during the sentencing phase of the trial, and the case was sent back for resentencing. While his murder conviction was upheld, the final outcome of his sentencing remains a painful chapter in the story of Officer Anthony Holly's untimely death.
