Gang Member Receives Max Sentence for Ambushing Phoenix Police Officer

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell has announced the sentencing of Joseph Eleno Lopez to 25 years in prison for attacking a Phoenix Police Officer who was responding to a car accident. Lopez, 30, pled guilty in January to one count of aggravated assault, a Class Two Felony.

Phoenix Police Officer Morgan Bullis was responding to a hit and run involving a vehicle that had crashed into the front yard of a residence when she was ambushed by the driver and shot multiple times. A total of five rounds were fired, one striking Officer Bullis causing serious injury to her left hip and one causing shrapnel to injure her lip.

After the shooting, the defendant ran to a nearby apartment complex and barricaded himself for several hours. Negotiators attempted to convince Lopez to come out of the apartment without success. After securing a search warrant, police made entry by explosively removing the door. Even then, the defendant did not immediately surrender, but instead hid in the attic leading police to deploy gas which caused the defendant to exit through a vent in the roof. The defendant was apprehended shortly after.

This was not the defendant’s first run in with the law. As a criminal street gang member, at the time of his arrest, Lopez had five prior felony convictions and was on probation.

Officer Bullis was taken to the hospital for her injuries and required multiple surgical procedures to remove the bullet and shrapnel from her hip and lips. Bullis then faced four months of physical therapy to be able to walk normally again before she could return to work. At the time of the incident, Bullis was in fear of her life as she thought she’d been shot in the face.

“This was a brutal, unprovoked attack on Officer Bullis that caused serious injuries to her,” shared County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “In light of the recent attacks against police officers, this case being sentenced to the highest possible prison term under the plea agreement shows my commitment to making sure those who attack the men and women in uniform are held to the highest punishment possible.”