Critical Incident Briefing: Officer-Involved Shooting Near 75th Avenue And Indian School Road In Phoenix

Press release from the City of Phoenix:

April 16, 2021

PolicePolice

WARNING: The attached video may contain strong language as well as graphic images which may be disturbing to some people. Viewer discretion is advised.

The Phoenix Police Department released a Critical Incident Briefing (CIB) video that includes audio, visuals and information related to an officer-involved shooting (OIS) which occurred on April 3, 2021 in the area of 75th Avenue and Indian School Road. This incident started around 8:00pm, when an adult male suspect, later identified as 26-year-old Jose Arenas, threatened multiple people with a handgun and attempted to rob them.

Patrol officers from the Maryvale Precinct and a police helicopter were nearby when 9-1-1 began receiving calls about Arenas pointing a handgun at multiple people. When officers arrived, they searched the area and located Arenas outside a nearby restaurant, where he was pointing a gun at a family in a car, and at the police helicopter. Officers told Arenas to drop the gun, but he refused. He fled into the restaurant which was occupied by multiple people. Once inside he pointed the gun and assaulted two customers. An officer followed Arenas into the restaurant and gave another command to drop the gun, which Arenas ignored. He pointed the handgun at the officer, and the officer fired at Arenas, striking him. After checking the back area of the restaurant, Officers provided medical aid to Arenas until Phoenix Fire Personnel arrived and transported him to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased. There were no injuries to any of the victims or the officers.The handgun used by Arenas was recovered on scene.The officer involved in this shooting is assigned to the Maryvale Precinct, Patrol Division, and has been with the department for 2 years. 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. Public records law required redaction of certain personal identifying information before video is released publicly.

This is why you may see some parts of Body Worn Camera (BWC) blurred or covered with a black box. Redacted video is released to local media in conjunction with the release of this Critical Incident Briefing for independent review and publication. Complete, unedited versions of the BWC are released to attorneys and the courts as evidence in a criminal case.

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