PHOENIX — Saturday will mark one week since Gila River Police Officer Joshua Briese was killed in the line of duty. A procession and public memorial service is planned in honor of the fallen officer.
Governor Katie Hobbs has also ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff on Saturday to honor Briese as mourners say their final goodbyes.
"Officer Briese will be remembered for his selflessness and bravery, and our thoughts are with his family and the Gila River Police Department during this time of mourning," Hobbs said in a post on X.
A procession for Briese will start at 8:10 a.m. at 19040 East Chandler Heights Road in Chandler. It will head east, then north on McQueen Road. From McQueen Road, it will head east on Ocotillo Road to Lindsey Road. The final location is 5545 South Lindsey Road at Sun Valley Community Church in Gilbert.
The memorial service, which is open to the public, will begin at 9 a.m.
The Gila River Public Safety Dispatch received an emergency call for service regarding a disturbance at a home in Santan in the early morning hours of June 1, which is District 4 of the Gila River Indian Community.
Officers were working to address the disturbance, which involved a large crowd at the home, when multiple gunshots were fired.
Briese was one of two officers and four civilians shot. Briese and a civilian, Alicen Apkaw, 23, both died of their injuries.
Briese had been with the department for less than a year and was still on Field Training, the FBI said in a news release.
The FBI said two suspects, an adult and a juvenile, have been taken into custody in connection to the shooting and "are receiving medical care."
Briese's father was also a law enforcement officer who was killed in the line of duty 18 years ago.
"We were coming to peace in the aftermath of his death, to have to go through this again," Joshua Briese's mother, Erene Briese said. "Even though Josh lost his dad at a young age, he knew the risks."
Erene Briese told 12News she wants her son's legacy to live on so the world will always remember his sacrifice.
“It’s the ultimate sacrifice, the price that you pay in the field that you go in," Erene Briese said. "Josh wanted to make his dad proud.”
His brothers in blue will salute him for a final time in Arizona before he is taken home to his final resting place beside his father.
Up to Speed
Catch up on the latest news and stories on the 12News YouTube channel. Subscribe today.
