A Phoenix man, identified as 36-year-old Matthew Scot Beckner-Gonzales, is facing multiple charges after allegedly opening fire on police officers during a welfare check, authorities reported on Tuesday. According to FOX 10 Phoenix, the incident occurred near the intersection of 35th Avenue and Mohawk Lane when officers responded to a call from a woman concerned about her adult son's erratic behavior.
Upon arrival and after knocking on the door to announce their presence, one of the officers encountered Beckner-Gonzales holding a handgun to his side, the report by FOX 10 Phoenix detailed; although Beckner-Gonzales raised his gun towards the officer, his mother intervened causing them both to fall to the ground, and Beckner-Gonzales then fired approximately six shots from the entryway. It was reported that no officers or neighbors were harmed in the ensuing chaos, and the officers didn't return fire as per the information received by AZ Family.
Following the incident, Beckner-Gonzales allegedly struggled against officers' attempts to place him into custody, ultimately being handcuffed after additional police support arrived on the scene. In a post-arrest interview with police where Beckner-Gonzales was read his Miranda rights he talked about "wanting to talk with Jesus, and expressed how he was afraid he would get murdered," additionally claiming "someone made him pull the trigger on his own gun," FOX 10 Phoenix reported.
He faces two counts of aggravated assault against a police officer, one count of discharging a firearm within city limits, one count of endangerment, and one count of resisting arrest, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for August 15 and a cash-only bond set at $200,000, in the situation that unfolded as a mother's call to check on her son escalated swiftly into an armed confrontation, this all as per court documents obtained by the media. According to the narrative pieced together from AZ Family, Beckner-Gonzales also mentioned during the interview with police that he was "not in control of himself" and that he was "shooting toward the enemy," though he did not specify who this enemy was.
