Man who shot Show Low officer killed after standoff

A standoff between the killer of a Show Low police officer and law enforcement ended early Wednesday when the man was shot to death at a cabin in Pinetop-Lakeside, authorities said.

A 15-year-old girl who was being held hostage was safe, police said.

Daniel Erickson, 36, and the girl were barricaded for about 6½ hours at Lake of the Woods Resort, with the man periodically shooting at officers, according to Show Low police.

The standoff came to an end when officers returned fire and killed Erickson, police said.

The fatal shot was fired by an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer. DPS will handle the shooting investigation, Show Low police said.

The 15-year-old girl was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

Show Low Officer Darrin Reed, 50, was killed when answering a disturbance call at a Days Inn in the 400 block of West Deuce of Clubs shortly after noon Tuesday, police said.

Officers were called to the Days Inn twice on Tuesday after employees asked for help in escorting individuals off the property. The first two officers were directed to a hotel room but did not locate anyone, police said Wednesday.

Reed responded to a second call, which is when he encountered Erickson, police said.

After Reed was shot, officers started a manhunt for the shooter. Police activity was reported near the Lake of the Woods Resort about 8:10 p.m. Members of the White Mountain Special Response Team and area law-enforcement officers surrounded Erickson at the cabin, and the DPS SWAT team arrived to take the lead, police said.

Police said no information is available about what brought Erickson to the cabin.

Reed had worked for Show Low police since 2006. Before that, he worked for the Navajo County Sheriff's Office.

He was taken to Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center after Tuesday afternoon's shooting and later died from his injuries. He was killed two months before his planned retirement, officials said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family following this tragic incident," Show Low police said in a news release.

He was survived by his wife, son and daughter.

A candlelight vigil for Reed began at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Festival Marketplace, 1034 E. Deuce of Clubs.

Reed's younger brother, Dale Reed, said Reed's wife and children are "doing as expected" and "shocked" at what happened.

Dale, a firefighter in Texas, described his brother as a person who loved helping others and spending time with his family.

"His life was family," Dale said to The Republic. "He loved his job and he always cared about others.

Reed grew up in Denver and was a big fan of the Denver Broncos, Dale said. He also enjoyed  hunting, fishing and camping with his son.

Reed's autopsy was completed Wednesday afternoon, according to Dale. Details for his funeral will be finalized within the next few days as family members travel to Arizona, he said.

A GoFundMe account has been established for Reed's family.

'We’ve never been through something like this'

This is the first time the Show Low Police Department has lost an officer in the line of duty, Sgt. Shawn Roby, department spokesman, said.

“Thank you to everyone who has expressed their concern and shown their support. Officer Reed was not only a husband, a father and a police officer; he was a member of our community who will be sorely missed,” the department said in a statement.

Spokesman Kirk Webb said the department would start working on a crisis management plan and provide counseling for anyone who needs it.

"I believe everyone is still in shock," Webb said. "This is something nobody ever expects. Many of us knew him (Reed) for a very long time from different agencies. When you works in this field, you become so close. ... We are a family."

Roby said, “We’re clearly going through a tough matter by losing one of our own. We’ve never been through something like this.”

Shooter's history: Arrests, 2 prison sentences

Early on, police had identified Erickson as the suspect and warned the public not to approach him.

Erickson was seen leaving a Show Low Days Inn shortly after the shooting in a heavily damaged dark blue or black 1989 Chevrolet S10 Blazer, according to the DPS and a police department Facebook post.

It wasn't clear when or where Erickson had switched vehicles, but he was later said to be in a brown or gray 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The motives behind Erickson's actions weren't immediately clear.

Court records show Erickson has an extensive criminal record in Arizona going back to 2004, with arrests nearly every year interrupted by a pair of prison sentences.

Those include arrests for assault, threats and intimidation, endangerment, drug possession and possession for sale.

Erickson served two stints in the Arizona Department of Corrections, according to the department’s website.

He was released from prison in June 2013 at the end of a four-year sentence for a marijuana conviction out of Cochise County. Previously, he spent five months in prison in 2007 for an endangerment conviction in Pinal County.

Once he got out of prison, he racked up a string of new charges. In 2013, he pleaded guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia. He was charged in 2013, 2014 and 2015 with traffic offenses , including driving on a suspended license and failure to appear in court.

In July, he was charged in East Santa Cruz County Justice Court with driving on a suspended license, not carrying registration and failure to carry insurance, records show.

Court records show Erickson used an address in Huachuca City. Before that he lived primarily with relatives throughout the East Valley, including Gilbert, Queen Creek and San Tan Valley.

Relatives in Gilbert on Wednesday declined comment. They confirmed being contacted by authorities the night before but said officers provided scant information beyond confirming that Erickson had been killed.

Ripples through the community

At the Police Department's request, after the shooting the Show Low Unified School District put its schools in lockdown for about an hour, sending phone and email alerts to family.

Show Low resident Connie Baker said students, including her 8-year-old daughter, were immediately placed on school buses after the lockdown was lifted. Businesses in the area also were locked down, she said.

"It was so scary when all of that was happening and we had no idea what was going on," Baker said. "This is a small town with almost no crime. You would never think this would happened here."

"'My heart goes out to the officer, his family, and the police in the area. All of hearts do."

Ashley Harley, 31, was out at the cabin resort Wednesday morning watching as DPS investigators continue to work the scene, collecting evidence.

Harley and her boyfriend live beyond the field that backs the area where the hostage situation unfolded overnight. They sat on their back porch as they heard gunshots in rapid succession just after midnight, she said.

"First it was one shot, then about five seconds later we heard 30 seconds of gunshots right after another," Harley said. "Then we heard the girl's screams. It was something like out of a horror movie."

"This is a quiet town, so something like this happening here is big," Harley, a local radio reporter said. "This greatly impacts our community."

Includes information from Republic reporters Emily Balli and Garrett Mitchell.