Report: Officer Shot in the Line of Duty Fired and Denied ‘Hardship’ Retirement

Yavapai-Apache Nation Police Department officer Preston Brogdon was shot in the line of duty February 9, 2022, but survived life-threatening injuries only to be denied a “hardship” retirement and fired two years later, according to a report.

Law Enforcement Today reported that Brodgon became a police officer after his time in United States Marine Corps. On February 9, 2022, he responded to a call regarding shots being fired at Camp Verde and located a suspect who began running.

Brogdon and another officer gave chase on foot and the suspect fired at them, striking Brogdon, who fell to the ground and had to be dragged to safety by the other officer.

He was airlifted to Phoenix, Arizona, for emergency surgery and eventually transferred to a facility for rehabilitation. In 2024, Brogden was fired while reportedly being denied a “hardship” retirement, which means he is “not eligible for benefits that he would have otherwise received.”

FOX 10 Phoenix spoke to Brogdon about the injuries he suffered. “I lost seven quarts of blood. Shattered hip, shattered pelvis, shattered femur, severed my small intestine, caused me all kinds of nerve and muscle damage,” he said.

Two years later Brogdon was fired.

“All the paperwork they had for me was my 401K. They didn’t have the knowledge or ability to do a hardship withdrawal or to roll it over without me taking a penalty,” he told AZ Family. “So I had to take a penalty. Which they made sure to tell the 401K agency that I was terminated, so when I called to ask for a hardship withdrawal, I couldn’t even get that because the paperwork said I was terminated.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a pro-staffer for Pulsar Night Vision, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.