Man sentenced to 14 years in prison for ambushing Phoenix police in 2022

A man who ambushed and nearly killed two Phoenix police officers in 2022 has been sentenced to over a decade behind bars.

On May 9, Devonte Thornton, 31, was sentenced to serve 14 years in prison.

Shortly after 1 a.m. on March 13, 2022, Thornton's younger brother, Javon Beasley, led Detective Alex Kofsky and Officer Hayden Heigel past an apartment building near 27th and Maryland avenues, according to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. The two officers were tailing Beasley's vehicle as part of an arrest warrant operation, and when the officer's vehicle approached the building, Thornton opened fire.

Heigel, who was the passenger, was hit by one of the bullets in his right arm, while Kofsky suffered an injury in his left eye due to shattering glass from the bullet. In all, 18 shell casings were recovered at the scene.

“The officers were inches away from death,” said County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “We know that the work of a police officer is dangerous as they put themselves in harm’s way, but this was not just being in harm’s way; this was an attempt against their lives.”

Thornton was arrested later that day.

Thornton had two felony convictions in Missouri and a penchant for going after police, according to the state's sentencing memorandum submitted by prosecutors.

“This defendant has expressed a willingness to target and attack uniformed police officers to serve his criminal interest,” the memorandum read.

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An ambush attack on uniformed police officers

Last month, Thornton pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of aggravated assault. During Thornton's sentencing, however, prosecutor Dan Fisher emphasized to the court that this was an ambush attack on uniformed police officers who could have easily been killed, according to the County Attorney's Office.

Thornton's "intention was to take our lives," said Kofsky in a victim impact statement. Thornton's actions caused "irreparable damage" to them, he said.

"We cannot accept cowardly acts like this ... and we must hold offenders like the defendant to the highest level of accountability possible," Kofsky said.

Prosecutors' decision to offer aggravated assault for plea deal

In February 2022, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office indicted Thornton on two counts of attempting to commit second-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault.

By April 2023, Thornton signed a plea deal, admitting to one count of aggravated assault and agreeing to a 14-year prison sentence.

Jeanine L'Ecuyer, an MCAO spokesperson, said that under Arizona law, being found guilty of aggravated assault against police officers means a possible 14 years without early parole sentence, while a guilty verdict of attempted second-degree murder comes with a range of 7 to 21 years and a presumptive 10 years.

In this case, prosecutors decided to go with the aggravated assault plea because it offered a greater certainty of more time than the presumptive sentence for second-degree murder, and an issue with a witness misidentifying Thornton could have hurt their case.

Beasley pled guilty to unlawful flight from law enforcement and was sentenced to three years probation.

Officer says he felt guilty for what happened to his friend and colleague

Kofsky, who referred to his partner Heigel as his best friend, remembers applying a tourniquet to Heigel to stop the life-threatening bleeding due to his gunshot wound.

"After the incident, I replayed it over and over in my head," said Kofsky. "I had to process watching my best friend get shot next to me and narrowly missing death. I had to process how powerless I felt in that moment."

Kofsky's actions to save Heigel's life earned him the Medal of Life Saving, Heigel said.

Heigel wrote he would forever be grateful to Kofsky but also felt guilty for what happened to him.

“I had asked him to ride with me that day as we were understaffed and accepting volunteers to come help,” he wrote.

An eight-year hiring freeze that ended in 2016 limited the department's staffing levels, and in 2019, the department began losing more police than they could hire. Last year marked the first year since in which the department had a net gain of officers.

Officers say the experience has changed their lives, approach to work

Heigel's right arm required surgery after the attack, leading to partial permanent numbness, limited mobility and pain throughout his limb.

"Every day I have pain and it's something I'm still learning how to live with," said Heigel in a victim impact statement. "I can no longer do simple things like throw a ball. The defendant took those things from me and I will never get them back."

Heigel, who has a wife and 1-year-old daughter, said his injuries have affected both his personal life and professional goals, citing his thwarted ambition to join the SWAT team.

Thornton "didn't consider my family or what would be taken away from them, or what he would be taking from me by his actions," said Heigel. "He reinforced that evil does exist."

Both Kofsky and Heigel reflected on the "heightened sense of vigilance" they now feel while on duty, with the "lasting effects" of dread, anxiety and defenselessness causing difficulties for the two officers as they readjust to work.

Though they share similar trauma, Heigel and Kofsky disagreed on Thornton’s sentence.

“I had a voice when 14 years was offered as a plea deal, and I think it more than fair for an attempt on my life, my partner's life, and an attack on a police officer," Heigel said in his letter. "I hope that it is a sentence that prevents further harm to others and provides an opportunity to truly rehabilitate. We cannot condone or stand for these attacks.”

Given the risks of taking the case to trial, Kofsky agreed with prosecutors on offering a plea deal. But in his letter to the court, he described a sense of imbalance.

"His intention was to take our lives when he pulled the trigger 18 times and it was only luck that I was not struck in the head and killed," Kofsky wrote. "14 years is not a severe enough sentence for the attempted murder of two police officers and critically injuring one."

"I will never be the same person I was after that night and there is nothing that can make that right," he said.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Devonte Thornton sentenced to 14 years in prison for 2022 shooting