'Getting tossed to the side': Arizona officer shot in the line of duty in 2022 fired from job
YAVAPAI COUNTY, Ariz. - An Arizona officer shot in the line of duty says he’s been fired by the tribe in charge of the police department he served with.
Preston Brogdon says he nearly died in 2022 after a suspect fired directly at him. He's still dealing with the medical implications of that injury.
The Brogdon family says they were hoping Preston would be able to medically retire, but in February, right at the two-year mark of his injury, he was met with something else.
Feb. 9, 2022 is a night Preston will never forget. The former Yavapai Apache Nation Sergeant was shot in the line of duty near Camp Verde.
"I made the decision not to die. He wasn’t going to kill me," he said.
Body camera footage shows him screaming in pain as a fellow officer drags him into a squad car.
That shooting suspect was later found dead.
Crews airlifted Preston to a Phoenix hospital with life-threatening injuries.
"I lost seven quarts of blood. Shattered hip, shattered pelvis, shattered femur, severed my small intestine, caused me all kinds of nerve and muscle damage," he said.
The following months were filled with surgeries and extensive physical therapy.
Now, he and his family are facing a new challenge.
"They were like, ‘it’s been two years, we’re going to let you go. At least you have disability,’" he said.
Preston shared the letter with FOX 10. The letter alerted Preston of his termination, stating, in part, "The Yavapai-Apache Nation has terminated your employment due to not being able to return to full job duties as a police sergeant per your doctor’s return to work status reports."
Preston says, "Give me a Purple Heart, give me a Medal of Valor, then you just, get out of here? I don’t understand."
His wife, Bailey, of course, isn't enthused either.
"It’s one thing to soak up all the good media, and the community coming together and the pats on the back when he first got shot, but it’s becoming easier for them to forget. Just getting tossed to the side," she said.
As for the Brogdon family, they say they’re leaning on God for their next steps.
"We are trusting that he has it and doors are going to open for us," Bailey said.
FOX 10 reached out to several tribal members about this decision. A leader at the police department did not respond to voice messages either.
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