CAMP VERDE, Ariz. — February marked two years since a Yavapai-Apache Police Department sergeant was shot in the line of duty. The bullet, which struck him just below his vest and above his belt, was an inch away from being fatal for Preston Brogdon.
As Brogdon continues to fight through his recovery, he was terminated by the police department.
The night that changed everything
“I had 30 minutes left on shift," Brogdon recalled.
Brogdon and his wife, Bailey, remember every detail from Feb. 9, 2022.
“Shots fired call came out," Brogdon said.
The body camera footage from that night is hard to watch. As Brogdon and his backup chased the armed suspect near Camp Verde, Brogdon was shot just below his vest.
“Officer down! Officer down!” his partner screamed.
As Brogdon cried out in pain, his partner dragged him back to their patrol vehicle. Ultimately, he was flown to the hospital where he would undergo multiple life-saving surgeries.
“They're just modern day miracles. It's what they are," Bailey said. "Half an inch to the left, half inch to the right, they would have been no hope for survival.”
Brogdon survived but his injuries were severe.
“I lost seven quarts of blood. The rounds severed my small intestine. nicked my femoral nerve, gave me a liver damage and urinary tract damage, shattered my pelvis, shattered my hip, broke my femur.”
Couple says tribal leaders broke their promises
As Bailey and Preston, along with their now five children, navigated his life-altering injuries, with both of his surgeons deeming him disabled, the couple said they were assured by the Yavapai-Apache Nation tribal council that they would be taken care of.
“They all made promises and I am a trusting person," Bailey said. "Like, we're gonna be okay because they're gonna pass retirement for him and we're gonna have something.”
Records show in the wake of the shooting, in May of 2022, the Yavapai-Apache Nation amended its workers' compensation policy and allowed for officers with permanent impairment to claim a benefit of 75% of their pre-injury weekly wage for 500 weeks, or 9.5 years.
In March of 2022, the council also voted unanimously to look into participating in the state's Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS), meaning officers like Brogdon could get a medical retirement.
But a PSPRS spokesperson confirmed to 12News the Yavapai-Apache Police Department never finalized its participation.
'It's been two years. We have to let you go.'
In February of this year, two years after his shooting, Brogdon was blindsided by the news that he was being terminated.
“All they said was it's been two years. We have to let you go. At least you have disability," Brogdon said.
Brogdon then got a letter in the mail claiming he had resigned.
“I panicked. I'm like, man, now now I can't get on unemployment. Now if I need food stamps, I can't get food stamps," Brogdon said. "So luckily, I had some people that made some calls and ultimately, I got a termination letter.”
The termination letter stated he was terminated "due to not being able to return to full job duties as a Police Sergeant per your doctors return to work status reports."
“I definitely think that he's got a calling in his life. I even think that this is for a reason," Bailey said. "I think that that reason is to protect officers from experiencing what we're going through. And to shine a light on maybe an area that is kind of an unknown.”
The Brogdons say tribal leaders said they can try requesting a settlement claim, which they will find out what that looks like in mid-April.
But they are more concerned about the effects these policies could have on future tribal officers and the tribal community as a whole.
“I don't want to give the nation a black eye. That's not my intention. My intention is be held accountable for your actions," Brogdon said. "It's just wrong what they're doing. It's wrong what they have done.”
12News made multiple attempts to speak with Yavapai-Apache Nation leaders. Chairwoman Tanya Lewis said in a statement, “The Yavapai-Apache Nation is unable to comment on employment and workers’ compensation matters involving current or former employees as such matters are strictly confidential.”
12News on YouTube
Catch up on the latest news and stories on our 12News YouTube playlist here.