Phoenix Critical Incident Briefing: July 4 Officer Involved Shooting Details

Press release from the City of Phoenix:

July 6, 2020

Critical Incident Briefing: July 4 Officer Involved Shooting Details July 6, 2020 3:00 PM

This attached video contains factual information and a portion of body-worn camera from an officer involved shooting that happened in our community over the weekend.

This critical incident happened Saturday afternoon, July 4, 2020 near the area of 56th Avenue and Glenrosa.

This high interest case has resulted in some misinformation being shared across social media. The purpose of this video is to provide facts and body-worn video currently available for release.

The investigation into this shooting is still in the early stages. Releasing body-worn camera (BWC) footage from the officers directly involved before all witness and officer interviews are completed could compromise the investigation.

However there is BWC from an officer who was not involved in the shooting, but assisted on the scene which we will show you.

Officers first responded to this area because a man called 911, seeking assistance. He had been stabbed in June and reported that the person responsible was back in the area threatening him.

The man told officers that the previous week somebody stabbed him, sending him to the hospital for several days. He reported that the man was not back in the area threatening him again.
Once officers arrived on scene and made contact with the victim, he told them the man who stabbed him had a knife and another person had a gun.

He directed officers to a house on Glenrosa where they made contact with several people including a man inside of the vehicle in the driveway.

Officers talked to the man for approximately 10 minutes, asking him to leave his car so they could secure the scene. He refused and eventually rolled up the windows and pulled out a gun.
Officers ordered the man to drop the gun but he refused. The man repeatedly told officers to shoot him and lifted the gun toward officers. That's when two officers fired their weapons.

Body worn from a nearby officer shows what happened immediately after the shooting as the officer retrieved the gun from the vehicle in order to safely provide medical attention to the man.
All body-worn from this incident can't be released this early in the investigation but will be in the coming weeks as investigators complete witness and officer interviews.

Investigators are reviewing and in the process of collecting evidence as they work to have a complete understanding of this officer involved shooting. Once the investigation is complete it will be submitted to the County Attorney's office for review. Cases involving deadly force are difficult for loved ones, officers and the community. We are committed to transparency and releasing video, audio and factual information on these high-profile cases.

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