William Hazelton “Haze” Burch was a Phoenix police officer who, at age 41, was fatally shot in the line of duty on February 5, 1925, becoming the first officer of the Phoenix Police Department to die while serving; contemporary records identify him as male but do not specify his ethnicity. Born in 1884 in Payson, Gila County, Arizona, he had built a life in Phoenix with his wife and three young children and was known within his family as a stern but kind peacemaker. His career with the depar
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