PHOENIX — A Phoenix Police officer fatally shot a man who had disarmed a home invasion suspect before officers arrived at a residence, according to the Phoenix Police Department.
According to police, multiple 911 calls reported a man firing shots at a home where children were present. Dispatchers could hear gunfire during the calls and relayed the information to responding officers.
When the first officer arrived, community members directed him toward a nearby home, reporting an active shooting, according to the department. Police said the officer approached an open front door and saw a struggle inside. He ordered the men to show their hands, but neither fully complied, and the officer opened fire.
Inside the home, officers found two men with gunshot wounds. One was pronounced dead at the scene, and another was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A third person was hospitalized for injuries not related to the shooting.
Police later determined that the man who was killed was not the original suspect but had disarmed the individual who fired shots at the home and family members.
The officer involved, a five-year department veteran assigned to the Maryvale Estrella Mountain Precinct, has not been identified.
The home invasion suspect has since been indicted on multiple felony charges, including first-degree murder under Arizona’s felony murder statute, which allows a murder charge if a death occurs during the commission of a dangerous felony, according to FOX 10 Phoenix
The officer-involved shooting is under investigation by the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s Major Incident Division and will be reviewed by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Police said no conclusions will be reached until the investigation is complete.
