A fatal police shooting took place in Tempe on Thursday afternoon after officers responded to a 911 call of a man allegedly brandishing a firearm. The incident, which occurred near Baseline Road and Priest Drive around 12:30 p.m., resulted in police locating the suspect, a man in his 40s, at an apartment complex close to the scene.
According to FOX 10 Phoenix, Officer Jessica Ells from the Tempe Police Department stated, "Officers received a 911 call from a victim about a subject disturbing. It was at that time officers responded and contacted the victim. Information was learned that the suspect also pointed a gun at this victim. The victim identified the suspect and officers made contact with the suspect at his apartment." The confrontation escalated when the suspect, who initially only communicated through his apartment window, emerged holding a handgun and reportedly pointed it at the officers.
Officer Ells further explained, "It was at that time that an officer involved shooting occurred. Two officers fired their duty weapons and the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene." The Tempe Police Department's official Twitter account confirmed that no officers were injured and there were no outstanding suspects. The scenario unfolded with a brief and intense burst of violence, and a local witness, Dedtrick, recounted to FOX 10 the moments leading up to the shooting. He described his perception of events, noting, "Two SWAT trucks pulled in. We heard a couple of shots, and it didn't look too chaotic, but it seems more chaotic how they're sticking around and how the police forces came out."
The name of the man who was shot has not been disclosed, and the case is currently an ongoing investigation, with the East Valley Critical Response Team leading the inquiry. The KTAR report confirmed that no officers were injured during the incident. The shooting hit the local community hard — the same witness, Dedtrick, lamented the rare instance of gun violence in his neighborhood, saying, "It hits close to home. Tempe is generally a good neighborhood, you know. For the most part, the whole town. It's active in a fun way, a college town. But, crime like this, shootings and everything, you don't hear about it too much."
