Arizona police officer fatally shot trying to apprehend carjacker

An Arizona police officer was killed when he tried to pull over an armed carjacker and the man jumped out of the stolen vehicle and opened fire.

The Nogales Police Department said Officer Jesus “Chuy” Cordova, 44, died after being shot multiple times Friday afternoon after he and other officers responded to an "armed carjacking incident."

His death was the first officer fatality in 129 years in Nogales, a close-knit border community, the Arizona Republic reported.

“The community of Nogales will never be the same but we hope that this unity continues well into the future,” said Nogales Police Chief Roy Bermudez, who thanked members of the community for their thoughts and prayers on the department’s Facebook page.

Cordova was killed trying to apprehend carjacking suspect David Ernesto Murillo, 28, of Tempe, Arizona, the paper reported.

Police said that after the shooting, Murillo drove off in a second carjacked vehicle.

The paper reported that after carjacking a third vehicle, officers from Noglaes and other law enforcement agencies grabbed Murillo after he attempted to flee on foot into a trailer park.

Among those offering condolences to Cordova’s family and loved ones was Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey.

Cordova leaves behind three children and a fiancée who is pregnant, the paper reported. He joined the Nogales Police Department last May. Before that, he was a detective for 10 years with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office in Nogales.