Gilbert Police Department officers fatally shot an armed man last night, after responding to a call for a welfare check on a man in a car. According to FOX 10 Phoenix, the incident occurred around 6 p.m. near Lindsay and Guadalupe roads. Sgt. Lorenzo Teruya reported that the officers found the man slumped over in his car and tried to make contact with him.
"When officers arrived, they encountered a single man seated in the driver's seat and attempted to contact him. The driver acknowledged the officers who attempted to have him exit the vehicle. Shortly afterwards, at about 6:04 p.m., the man presented a firearm and an officer-involved shooting occurred," Sgt. Teruya said, in a statement obtained by FOX 10 Phoenix. Following the incident, the man was pronounced dead at the scene, and the officers involved were reported to have not been injured.
The identity and age of the man killed in the shooting have not been disclosed. AZ Family notes that this case marks the 13th police shooting in the Valley and the 34th in Arizona for the year. The area around the intersection of Lindsay and Guadalupe roads was closed as the investigation commenced.
The Mesa Police Department is set to take over the investigation, working as part of the East Valley Critical Incident Response Team. Sgt. Teruya assured the public that the incident was isolated, stating, "This was an isolated incident, and there is no threat to the public," to assure while conveying information about the status of the investigation and the safety of the community, as mentioned on FOX 10 Phoenix.
