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Senior Police Officer

Alexander K. Yazzie

Navajo Division of Public Safety — Window Rock, AZ

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch March 19, 2015

Age 42

Tour of Duty 14 yrs

The Vigil Panel 366 · Column 2 · Line 14 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Military Also Remembered Department 16

Incident

Location: Arizona Weapon: Rifle; AR-15 Offender: Shot and killed

Senior Police Officer Alex Yazzie was shot and killed near Red Valley, Arizona, while pursuing a subject who had shot at another officer who had responded to a domestic violence call in Little Water Trading Post, New Mexico, shortly after 4:00 pm.

The initial call involved a report of a barricade situation in which a subject armed with an AR-15 rifle was holding his family hostage. The man opened fire on responding officers and then fled across state lines into Arizona, approximately 29 miles away. The man opened fire on officers a second time after they located him in Red Valley at approximately 10:30 pm.

Officer Yazzie was fatally shot, and two other officers were wounded during the shootout. The suspect was also killed during the gunfight.

Officer Yazzie was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had served with the Navajo Division of Public Safety for 14 years.

Survivors

He is survived by two sons, two daughters, a brother, and two sisters.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Marine Corps. One record, 2 gates. Alexander is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Senior Police Officer Yazzie gave the Navajo Division of Public Safety 14 years.
Thank you for your service to the Window Rock community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Navajo Division of Public Safety

Type Other

Location Window Rock, Apache County, AZ

Platform Identity ndpsdps.nn.tribal.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 19, 2015

Tour of Duty 14 yrs

Age 42

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Rifle; AR-15

Military Service

Alexander K. Yazzie served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Alexander is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,552 remembered there.

34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 2015, 60 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 126th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Alexander was 42. Of the 14,219 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Alexander had served 14 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death

Where he stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

March holds 7.5% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Thursdays: 14%.

By month

By day of the week

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was rifle; ar-15, in 0.1% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded