Phoenix officer, posse member shot New Year’s Eve identified
Jan 2, 2014, 3:17 PM | Updated: Jan 4, 2014, 9:34 am
PHOENIX — A police officer and off-duty MCSO posse member who were shot following a New Year’s Eve robbery been identified.
Officer Scott Sefranka, a seven-year veteran of the Phoenix Police Department, was allegedly shot by Roger Allen Sharp, 26, in a Walgreens parking lot near 56th Street and Thomas on Tuesday.
Sharp and another man, 36-year-old David Lee Murray, were involved in a crash after they allegedly robbed a nearby business at gunpoint. Sefranka was following them at the time.
After the crash, one officer had Sharp at gunpoint but the two began to struggle, police said. An off-duty Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office posse member — identified Saturday as Phillip Grigg — who was driving the other vehicle involved in the crash, tried to help.
“Ultimately, Sharp was able to take control of the officer’s gun, and he used it to shoot both the officer and the man who came to his aid,” Sgt. Tommy Thompson said in a news release.
Police said Sharp and Murray ran into a neighborhood, where they were captured. Scottsdale police also recovered a handgun that is believed to belong to the wounded officer.
Both Sefranka and the posse member, who is not being identified per family requests, were in critical but stable condition on Thursday.
Sefranka, 34, is married and has children. He was shot in the abdomen and underwent surgery at a Scottsdale hospital.
Sharp is facing charges that include armed robbery, resisting arrest, burglary and attempted murder. Murray is facing two armed robbery counts.
A civilian who was riding along with Sefranka was not injured.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
