Kalamazoo Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley discusses Monday's fatal shooting of Officer Eric Zapata during a press conference Tuesday. (Scott Harmsen / Kalamazoo Gazette)
As he struggled several times to gain his composure Tuesday, Kalamazoo Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley spoke the words no police official in this county has had to utter for more than 140 years - one of his officers was killed in the line of duty.
The death of Eric Zapata, a 10-year department veteran who was gunned down late Monday by a Kalamazoo man armed with a high-powered rifle, came less than three weeks after Hadley spoke at a press briefing about his hope and expectation that his officers go home safe at the end of their shifts.
"I now stand before you and must report that that expectation was not met," Hadley said Tuesday, a little more than 12 hours after Zapata, a 35-year-old father of three, was killed. "We as a community did not send one of our officers home safely after his shift. For that, I am truly sorry."
Hadley said the incident that led to Zapata's slaying unfolded just after 11:18 p.m. Monday when officers responded to a report of gunshots being fired in the 1400 block of Hays Park Avenue in the city's Edison neighborhood.
An officer approached Leonard D. Statler, 31, who was standing on the front porch of a home at 1411 Hays Park. Hadley said Statler began shooting at the officer and the two exchanged gunfire. That officer, whose name was not released, was not struck.
Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Officer Eric Zapata
After the initial shots were fired, Hadley said Statler produced a long gun and continued shooting at the officer before fleeing across Hays Park between houses on the south side of the street.
Hadley said the officer involved in the initial shootout warned other officers over his radio that Statler had a long gun and to stay out of the area, given that rifles put officers at a disadvantage because of their power and accuracy from long distances.
The caliber of the gun was not disclosed Tuesday, although Hadley described it has a high-powered long gun.
Hadley said Statler came upon Zapata in an alley behind 1416 Hays Park and opened fire, striking Zapata in the head and chest.
Moments later, Statler shot and killed himself in the alley and was pronounced dead at the scene, Hadley said.
Other officers at the scene placed Zapata, who was wearing his department-issued bulletproof vest, in a police cruiser and rushed him to Bronson Methodist Hospital where he was pronounced dead, the chief said.
Zapata is the first Public Safety officer to ever be killed in the line of duty and the first officer to be slain in Kalamazoo County since 1867.
Hadley said Zapata normally worked the agency's 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. shift out of Station 45, which covers the city's north side. He was working Monday night after exchanging time with another officer to "do a buddy a favor" and his shift was scheduled to end at midnight, the chief said.
Hadley, who was visibly tired and shaken during the press conference, addressed a crowd that included media, state Rep. Sean McCann, members of Hadley's administration and city leaders, including Mayor Bobby Hopewell, City Manager Kenneth Collard and City Commissioners David Anderson, Stephanie Bell and Robert Cinabro.
He called the entire incident "a senseless tragedy." He also said the Zapata's slaying is part of a growing national trend of violence directed at police officers.
The chief said police officer deaths increased by 40 percent from 2009 to 2010 and so far this year, 62 officers have been killed in the line of duty, 28 by gunfire.
"Our hearts and best wishes go out to (Zapata's) family as they grieve the loss of their father, son and brother," the chief said.
Less than three weeks ago, on March 29, Public Safety officers shot and killed Chad L. Harris at Harris' home in the city's West Main Hill neighborhood.
Harris had called police saying he had a hostage and that he would shoot the first officer who arrived. At the scene, he brandished a knife and threatened officers, who fatally shot him.
It was at the press conference the next day that Hadley talked about officer safety and his hope and expectation that the officers go home at the end of their shifts.
Hadley said Zapata began his career with Public Safety in February 2001, working mainly in the agency's patrol division, except for one year that he was assigned to the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team.
"He was friendly, happy, always smiling, somewhat of a jokester, but always got the job done," Hadley said.
Hadley said his agency's Criminal Investigations Division and Office of Professional Standards are conducting separate investigations into the incident.
In the meantime, he said at least four to five officers, including those who took Zapata to the hospital, are on excused time off. He said, among other things, investigators are trying to determine how many shots were fired by Statler and the officer involved in the initial exchange of gunfire.
He said police are investigating how many times Zapata was wounded and how many shots he fired at Statler, if any.
Hadley said that his officers had prior contact with Statler but he did not have details about those contacts or how many times officers had been called to Statler's Hays Park residence prior to Monday night. He did say that officers have responded to 75 reports of gunshots being fired in the city since Jan. 1.
"We have challenges in this community," Hadley said when asked Tuesday about a recent span of incidents, most notably Zapata's slaying and the officer-involved shooting of Harris. "We have challenges in the Edison neighborhood. It's a tragic incident, it's unfortunate."
As the investigation continues, Hadley said his agency is lending support to Zapata's family as they make arrangements for his funeral. He said the agency is also offering support for its officers as they deal with, and come to terms with, Zapata's death.
Hadley described the mood in the department as "somber."
"These are difficult," Hadley said. "There's no flash card in the back pocket to know how to deal with these incidents."
