PHOENIX (AP) — One of two Phoenix police officers who were shot earlier this week by a man who was trying to break into a car has died from his injuries, the department said Friday evening.
Officer Zane Coolidge, a five-year veteran of the department, died Friday at the hospital where he was taken in critical condition on Tuesday evening.
“It is with a heavy heart and incredible sadness that I let you know of the passing of Phoenix Police Officer Zane Coolidge,” Interim Police Chief Michael Sullivan said in a statement, adding that Coolidge was a husband, father, son, brother “and a dedicated and beloved member of the Phoenix Police Department.”
Phoenix officers have been shot at on 11 occasions this year, Sullivan said.
Shortly after the shooting, police arrested 41-year-old Saul Bal on suspicion of multiple felonies, including attempted homicide, weapons violations and burglary from a vehicle. There was no information immediately available online regarding any additional charges associated with the delayed death.
An online search also did not turn up information about a future court date for Bal or whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Coolidge's partner, Officer Matthew Haney, who had two years with the department, was wounded but released from the hospital following treatment. He is recovering at home.
The department did not give the ages of the officers, who were certified field training officers in the Mountain View Precinct, which helps to train new police academy graduates.
Both officers were chasing a suspect on foot at about 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday after arriving together on a call about a man trying to break into a vehicle. The man fired at the officers, striking both.
While one officer was able to return fire, the suspect was not struck. Other officers arrested Bal nearby soon afterward. Detectives recovered a firearm they believe he used.
This undated photo released by the Phoenix Police Department shows Officer Zane Coolidge. Coolidge, one of two Phoenix police officers who were shot earlier this week by a man who was trying to break into a car has died from his injuries, the department said Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (Phoenix Police Department via AP)
Among the last words heard from the crew of an experimental submersible headed for the wreck of the Titanic were “all good here,” according to a visual re-creation of the journey of the Titan before it imploded, killing all five on board.
The U.S. Coast Guard presented the animation Monday on the first day of what is expected to be a two-week hearing on the causes of the implosion. Crew aboard the Titan were communicating with staff aboard the support ship Polar Prince via text messages, according to the presentation.
The crew lost contact after an exchange of texts about the submersible's depth and weight as it descended. The Polar Prince then sent repeated messages asking if the Titan could still see the ship on its onboard display. One of Titan’s final responses, which became spotty as it descended, was “all good here.”
The Titan imploded on June 18, 2023, killing all five on board and setting off a worldwide debate about the future of private undersea exploration.
In other testimony Monday, Coast Guard officials said the Titan was left exposed to weather and elements while in storage for seven months in 2022 and 2023. The hull was also never reviewed by any third parties as is standard procedure, they said.
The ongoing Marine Board of Investigation is the highest level of marine casualty investigation conducted by the Coast Guard. When the hearing concludes, recommendations will be submitted to the Coast Guard's commandant. The National Transportation Safety Board is also conducting an investigation.
“There are no words to ease the loss endured by the families impacted by this tragic incident,” said Jason Neubauer of the Coast Guard Office of Investigations, who led the hearing. “But we hope that this hearing will help shed light on the cause of the tragedy and prevent anything like this from happening again.”
Among those killed was Stockton Rush, co-founder of OceanGate, the Washington state company that owned the Titan. The company suspended operations after the implosion. The first witness to testify Monday was OceanGate's former engineering director, Tony Nissen. Also scheduled to speak were the company's former finance director, Bonnie Carl; and former contractor Tym Catterson.
Some key OceanGate representatives are not scheduled to testify. They include Rush's widow, Wendy Rush, who was the company's communications director.
The Coast Guard does not comment on the reasons for not calling specific individuals to a particular hearing during ongoing investigations, said Melissa Leake, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard. She added that it's common for a Marine Board of Investigation to “hold multiple hearing sessions or conduct additional witness depositions for complex cases.”
Scheduled to appear later in the hearing are OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein; former operations director, David Lochridge; and former scientific director, Steven Ross, according to a list compiled by the Coast Guard. Numerous guard officials, scientists, and government and industry officials are also expected to testify. The U.S. Coast Guard subpoenaed witnesses who were not government employees, Leake said.
OceanGate has no full-time employees at this time but will be represented by an attorney during the hearing, the company said in a statement. The company has been fully cooperating with the Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board investigations since they began, the statement said.
The Titan became the subject of scrutiny in the undersea exploration community in part because of its unconventional design and its creator’s decision to forgo standard independent checks. The implosion killed Rush and veteran Titanic explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet; two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood; and British adventurer Hamish Harding.
The Titan lost contact with its support vessel about two hours after it made its final dive later. When it was reported overdue, rescuers rushed ships, planes and other equipment to an area about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland.
The search for the submersible attracted worldwide attention, as it became increasingly unlikely that anyone could have survived the implosion. Wreckage of the Titan was subsequently found on the ocean floor about 330 yards (300 meters) off the bow of the Titanic, Coast Guard officials said.
The time frame for the investigation was initially a year, but the inquiry has taken longer. The Coast Guard said in July that the hearing would delve into “all aspects of the loss of the Titan,” including both mechanical considerations as well as compliance with regulations and crewmember qualifications.
This story has been edited to clarify that “all good here” was one of the last things heard from the submersible, not necessarily the very last thing heard.
FILE - This undated image provided by OceanGate Expeditions in June 2021 shows the company's Titan submersible. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP, File)
