Sexual assault case investigation led to shooting of Scottsdale officer in Phoenix

A man shot and killed by Phoenix police and accused of shooting a Scottsdale sergeant was being sought in relation to a sexual assault case, according to officials.

During a Thursday news conference, Scottsdale police released more details on the investigation that led to the Jan. 6 shooting in downtown Phoenix where Sgt. Scott Galbraith, who was serving a warrant stemming from a violent crime, was struck by a gunshot that came through a wall.

Police said Kenneth Hearne, 37, is believed to have shot Galbraith when he was serving the warrant.

Hearne, 37, was identified by Scottsdale police as a suspect in a sexual assault case from October involving a 70-year-old woman, Sgt. Kevin Quon said at the news conference.

Galbraith was hospitalized with an injury to his abdomen. As of Monday, he had been released from the hospital and was expected to make a full recovery.

Tips, investigation lead police to Hearne

On Oct. 12, officers responded to a sexual assault at the San Marin Luxury Suites & Apartment in Old Town Scottsdale. The woman said the offender was armed with a gun during the assault, Lt. Lee Campbell said at the news conference. When officers arrived, the offender had fled.

In the days following the assault, Scottsdale police put out a news release asking for the public's help in the case.

By November police had identified potential witnesses, including a man who was seen on surveillance video walking out of the front gate of the complex on Oct. 12, and once again asked the public for help in identifying him.

After police received tips, the man was identified as Hearne, who at the time was considered as a witness, Campbell said.

“From that time, we never stopped working. We were working tirelessly,” Campbell said.

On Jan. 5, Hearne became a person of interest in the case. According to Campbell, Hearne knew police wanted to talk to him but he was “actively avoiding any police contact” and refused to speak to them — even when they tried to reach him through an acquaintance.

Scottsdale police requested a search warrant for Hearne to recover DNA and forensic and digital evidence. Hearne also had an active warrant out of Mesa for failure to appear in a separate DUI case.

A judge granted the warrant and Scottsdale police tried to serve it on Jan. 6, during a First Friday event in downtown Phoenix, resulting in Galbraith being shot.

On Jan. 7, Phoenix officers tried to arrest Hearne, who was tracked and found in Tempe. He “displayed” a firearm and officers fatally shot him, according to police. The gun he had that day was the one he used to shoot Galbraith.

‘Some closure’ for the assault victim

Campbell said DNA that was collected from Hearne confirmed he was the offender in the sexual assault case. The investigation revealed Hearne frequented the apartment complex where the woman lived in Scottsdale, but they didn’t have any ties.

“On Tuesday, members of my staff were able to contact the victim to bring some closure to her,” Campbell said.

After the assault, Scottsdale police provided crisis intervention services to her. Campbell said a specialist supported the woman and walked her through the whole process so that they could provide her with anything she needed.

"She was well taken care of," Campbell said.

Investigations of Scottsdale, Phoenix police shootings ongoing

Quon said they appreciated the community members who reached out to police with tips throughout the investigation.

"We talk about this all the time. If you see something, say something. That's exactly what our community members were doing here to help get this violent offender off of the street," Quon said.

Campbell thanked the agencies and officers who assisted in the investigation.

“We work tireless hours to solve these cases. I can't thank my staff enough for the amount of work that they've done on this. And the whole purpose was to bring a violent offender off the road so that he could not victimize another person,” Campbell said.

Phoenix police is investigating the Scottsdale police shooting involving Galbraith. Tempe police is investigating the Phoenix police shooting where Hearne was fatally shot.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Sexual assault case investigation led to shooting of Scottsdale officer