DPS: I-10 west of Phoenix still safe despite latest shooting

PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona Department of Public Safety officials say a stretch of interstate that was the site of a deadly officer-involved shootout is no more dangerous than other highways.

DPS Director Frank Milstead said at a news conference Wednesday that law enforcement maintains a regular presence on the roads and rest stops of Interstate 10 near the California border.

>>VIDEO: Police news conference on deadly officer-involved shootings

The shootout Tuesday was the third fatal DPS-involved shooting on I-10 west of Phoenix since January.

Phoenix police say 36-year-old Sladjan Petkovic fatally shot his neighbor on Monday. After being spotted at a Tonopah rest area early the next morning, Petkovic and a trooper exchanged gunfire.

Multiple officers from several agencies responded and a shootout ensued with more than 300 rounds fired.

Milstead says Petkovic remains in life support after being critically wounded.