An incident in Guadalupe late Sunday night ended with the fatal shooting of a man by Maricopa County deputies, according to FOX 10 Phoenix. The situation began after deputies responded to a hit-and-run crash on U.S. 60, where a Jeep Patriot had struck a guardrail before fleeing, as confirmed by the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
The subsequent events unfolded near Guadalupe Town Hall, where the man, then suspected of involvement in the crash, was reportedly expressing suicidal thoughts and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office says when deputies made contact with the man, he brandished a weapon and did not comply with their orders, which led to the deputies discharging their service firearms, subsequently resulting in the man's death "Both deputies fired their service weapon, the suspect was shot, and he was pronounced deceased on scene," Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez told FOX 10 Phoenix.
Arizona's Family reports the man was in his 40s, and the deputies involved, both with roughly five years on the force, were unharmed during the incident; they were assigned to work in Guadalupe and the area around Avenida del Yaqui and Calle Guadalupe remained closed off for investigation following the event which marked the 17th officer-involved shooting in Maricopa County and the 39th in Arizona this year.
Details concerning the identity of the man have not been disclosed, and as investigations continue, traffic disruptions are expected near the town hall, the incident raises the tally for the number of officer-involved shootings in the state causing renewed attention towards interactions between law enforcement and individuals in crises; for those who may find themselves in need of assistance, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available for support, which can be accessed by calling or texting 988, allowing individuals to connect with counselors 24/7 for emotional support.
