A confrontation outside the Coolidge Police Department turned deadly Thursday evening when an officer shot and killed a person who was carrying a machete near the station, authorities said. The incident followed a response to a reported domestic disturbance. The person was pronounced dead at the scene, and officials said no officers were hurt. Police have not released the person’s identity.
Officer responded to a domestic disturbance, police say
According to details shared on social media by Coolidge police, an officer arrived at the station around 7:45 p.m. following reports of a domestic disturbance. The person involved then displayed a machete and refused repeated commands to drop it, which led at least one officer to open fire, Arizona's Family reported. The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office told the outlet that the person died at the scene and has not been publicly identified.
Investigation and official response
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office has taken over the investigation into the shooting, and Coolidge police said the area around the station was secured and that there was no ongoing threat to the public, according to ABC15. Officials have not yet said whether body camera footage exists or when more information might be released.
Statewide context: multiple law-enforcement shootings
The Coolidge shooting came during a stretch of multiple law-enforcement shootings across Arizona within roughly a 24-hour window, including a Phoenix police shooting in west Phoenix and a Department of Public Safety trooper who was shot off Interstate 17, local outlets reported. KOLD News 13 notes that the Coolidge incident was among several use-of-force cases that agencies across the state are now reviewing.
