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30-year sentence handed down in 2024 fatal shooting of Gila River police officer

By
Crime and Public Safety
Published October 14, 2026 4:41 PM MST
Published October 14, 2026 4:41 PM MST
Man sentenced in Gila River officer shooting
Man sentenced in Gila River officer shooting

Man sentenced in Gila River officer shooting

A teen was sentenced to 30 years for the 2024 shooting that killed Gila River Police Officer Joshua Briese and another victim. FOX 10's Steve Nielsen reports.

The Brief

    • A 19-year-old man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for a deadly 2024 shooting that killed a Gila River police officer and a young woman.
    • Court documents filed in a co-defendant's case provide new insight into the chaotic night, including descriptions of police body camera and bystander video.
    • The shooter's brother, who was paralyzed after being shot multiple times in the back by police during the incident, faces a federal trial set for February.

A man has been sentenced to federal prison for the 2024 deadly shooting of a Gila River police officer, and new court documents are now giving better insight into what happened that night.

The backstory:

Robert Enos was just 16 years old when he shot three people, killing two and injuring another. In May, the now 19-year-old pleaded guilty. He was sentenced last week to 30 years in federal prison.

Because this is a federal case, many of the court documents are sealed, but one document was obtained.

Late Gila River Police Officer Joshua Briese (Courtesy: Gila River Police Department)

Timeline:

It was June 1, 2024.

Gila River police responded to a disturbance call in Santan, which is located in District 4 of the Gila River Indian Community, at around 2 in the morning.

Officers arrived to find around 100 people and multiple groups fighting. As police tried to break up the party, several shots were fired. Two people were killed, including Gila River Police Officer Joshua Briese and 23-year-old Alicen Apkaw. Several other people were also hurt.

Dig deeper:

Sixteen-year-old Enos and his brother, 18-year-old Joseph Notah, were arrested, with Notah facing assault and firearm charges. In a court filing from last year to get Notah's charges dismissed, defense attorneys detailed what happened that night.

They say one shot was fired, causing people to scatter.

Notah reportedly ran to his car. His attorneys say police body camera video and bystander cell phone video show Notah with his hands in the car, holding what appears to be a rifle, but they say he never pointed the gun at anyone. Body cam video without audio reportedly shows Officer Briese approaching Notah from behind and deploying a Taser.

He's then seen pulling out a gun and shooting Notah multiple times in the back, leaving him paralyzed. Defense lawyers say the video shows Notah's hands were empty with no gun visible.

Enos eventually shoots and kills Officer Briese.

What's next:

Notah's federal trial is expected to begin in February. Federal investigators have not released any other information or the body cam video that shows what happened.

The Source: Information in this report was gathered from court documents filed by defense attorneys for Joseph Notah; official statements from federal investigators; and Gila River Police Department incident records.

Crime and Public SafetyGila RiverNews