Officer Leonard Leon Kolodziej

Officer Leonard Leon Kolodziej

Phoenix Police Department, Arizona

End of Watch Wednesday, September 4, 1991

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Leonard Leon Kolodziej

Officer Leonard Kolodziej was shot and killed by a man who sprayed a residential street with gunfire from a high-powered weapon at 4300 N. 20th Street.

Officer Kolodziej was the first on the scene and was killed before he exited his patrol vehicle. The suspect then held police at bay for more than five hours before they stormed the house and found the suspect dead.

Officer Kolodziej had served with the Phoenix Police Department for 19 years and was ten months from retirement. He is survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter, three stepdaughters, a stepson, his mother, and seven grandchildren.

Bio

  • Age 43
  • Tour 19 years
  • Badge 2387

Incident Details

  • Cause Gunfire
  • Weapon Gun; Unknown type
  • Offender Committed suicide

active shooter

Most Recent Reflection

View all 101 Reflections

Dear Pops,
32 years since we have heard you laugh, tell a joke or give a hug. 32 years since we have tasted your home cooked burgers, egg salad sandwiches or jelly toast. 32 years since that day, which changed the course of our lives forever. It still feels like yesterday. This poem has helped me throughout these years...

Do not stand at my grave and weep 
I am not there. I do not sleep. 
I am a thousand winds that blow. 
I am the diamond glints on snow. 
I am the sunlight on ripened grain. 
I am the gentle autumn rain. 
When you awaken in the morning's hush 
I am the swift uplifting rush 
Of quiet birds in circled flight. 
I am the soft stars that shine at night. 
Do not stand at my grave and cry; 
I am not there. I did not die.

by Mary Elizabeth Frye

I carry your heart, I carry your heart in my heart

Kate Kolodziej-Delafield
Daughter

September 4, 2023

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