On a tragic Friday afternoon, May 27, 1988, Phoenix Police Officer Kenneth Collings, a 32-year-old male, was working a uniformed off-duty security detail at a Valley National Bank branch located at West McDowell Road and 21st Avenue. His life was cut short when he heroically attempted to apprehend two men involved in a robbery. As Officer Collings moved to arrest the suspects, one of them opened fire, inflicting a fatal wound.
The incident triggered an immediate and extensive
investigation. One of the individuals responsible for Officer Collings' death was apprehended shortly after the shooting. The second suspect, however, managed to evade capture and fled across the border into Mexico, initiating a prolonged manhunt that would last for more than a decade.
After years of diligent work by law enforcement agencies, the second suspect was located in Mexico in June of 2000. His capture was not without further violence, as he was wounded during a shootout with local police. Following his arrest, he was extradited back to Arizona to finally face justice for his role in the murder of Officer Collings. In November 2002, after prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty as a condition of his extradition, the man was sentenced to life in prison, bringing a close to a long and painful chapter for the Phoenix Police Department and the family of the fallen officer.
