Phoenix, Arizona (PPD) — On April 1, 2023, Phoenix police officers received a call about a fight just after 7:10 p.m. at an apartment complex near 14th Street and Bell Road. The officers arrived and spoke to a man who wanted to get some belongings from an apartment. The officers knocked on the apartment door, but there was no answer. The apartment did not belong to the man, so officers provided him with options for the evening and they went back into service. About an hour later, officers received a second call from the same apartment complex. A woman told the 911 operator she was hiding in her bathroom after a man she knows had a gun and had broken the window to her apartment. Once officers arrived, they found the man from the previous call in the parking lot of the apartment complex. Officers gave him commands to show his hands and walk to the center of the parking lot. He responded by pulling a gun from a pouch on his belt.
Officers gave the man multiple commands to drop the gun then used a less-lethal tool known as a PepperBall Launcher to encourage the man to follow their directions. The PepperBall Launcher is a less-lethal tool issued to trained officers in patrol and the Tactical Support Bureau. The PepperBall launcher discharges projectiles filled with irritant powder that is designed to disrupt and disorient the intended target as well as deliver pain compliance. The man then walked into a parking stall, pointed the gun into the air, and fired one round. This was when the officer-involved shooting occurred.
After shooting, the officers moved up and separated the gun from the man. Officers provided aid until the Phoenix Fire Department arrived. The man died on scene from his injuries. No other community members or officers were injured during this incident. The firearm used by the man was recovered on scene. The officers involved in this shooting have been with the department for 13, 6, and 2 years respectively and are assigned to the Black Mountain Precinct.
News by Breaking911
