Critical Incident Briefing: Officer-Involved Shooting In Ahwatukee

Press release from the City of Phoenix:

September 2, 2020

The Phoenix Police Department released a Critical Incident Briefing (CIB) video that includes audio, visuals and information related to an officer-involved shooting that happened in the area of Warner and 48th Street on the evening of Wednesday August 19, 2020.

The suspect from this incident has been identified as 22-year-old Hannah Kyyitan.

Before officers arrived on scene, a mental health crisis hotline worker called 911 to report an incident where a man had called them and was concerned about his roommate. The man said that his female roommate was in crisis and threatened him with a gun.

At this time, officers from the South Mountain Precinct arrived at the scene and met with the roommate and mental health workers to obtain information. One officer then spoke to Kyyitan on the phone, asking her to come out and talk to them. But Kyyitan refused to come outside or allow officers in.

Officers then spent about 30 minutes trying to speak to Kyyitan through the door of her apartment before they heard what sounded like a shot being fired inside of the apartment.

The officers spent an additional 20 minutes trying to talk with Kyyitan before she opened the door, armed with a shotgun. After giving several commands for the woman to drop the gun, she refused and swung the gun in the direction of the officer. The officer fired one round, striking Kyyitan in the arm.

Immediately after shooting Kyyitan, the officers immediately approached her, and applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.

The Phoenix Fire Department responded, transporting the woman to the hospital where she was treated before being booked into the Maricopa County Jail for two counts of aggravated assault on the officers, and one count of aggravated assault on her roommate.

The officer involved in this Critical Incident is assigned to the South Mountain Precinct and has 2 years of service with the Phoenix Police Department.

Conclusions about whether the actions of the officers are consistent with department policy and the law will not be made until all facts are known and the investigation is complete. An internal investigation by the Professional Standard Bureau is currently underway, in addition to a criminal investigation. Once the criminal investigation is complete it will then be reviewed by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.

Please be advised, the attached video may contain strong language as well as graphic images which may be disturbing to some people. Viewer discretion is advised.

This press release was produced by the City of Phoenix. The views expressed here are the author’s own.