Phoenix Critical Incident Briefing: October 15, 2020 Central And Hadley

Press release from the City of Phoenix:

October 29, 2020

The Phoenix Police Department released a Critical Incident Briefing (CIB) video that includes audio, visuals and information related to an officer-involved shooting which occurred on October 15, 2020 at approximately 11:30 a.m. near Hadley Street and Central Avenue.

This incident started at approximately 7:30 in the morning, when Phoenix Police responded to an armed robbery at a convenience store. The 911 caller indicated a man entered the store demanding money and was armed with a gun. He also said a similar person had robbed them on a prior occasion.Responding officers located a man who fit the description and was later identified as 22-year-old Lorenzo Gonzales. Officers followed Gonzales to a house near Hadley Street and Central Avenue which is less than a block away from the convenience store.

Neighborhood Enforcement Team (NET) officers arrived and began watching the residence. They saw Gonzales get into a vehicle with an adult woman and children.Officers followed the vehicle but for the safety of the woman and children, opted to wait to arrest the suspect until he was alone. Eventually Gonzales returned to his house and the woman and children left to go into a different residence. Officers confirmed Gonzales was now home alone.

At that time, officers contacted Gonzales, but he refused to come out of the house. Communication continued for another 2 ½ hours as officers from the Special Assignment Unit (SAU) arrived and took over the incident. Gonzales continually refused to come out. At approximately 11:30 a.m., officers saw Gonzales approaching the front doorway. An officer from SAU saw Gonzales with a gun, pointed at officers. The SAU officer fired at Gonzales, which caused Gonzales to retreat back into the residence.

Once Gonzales retreated to the residence, officers at the rear of the house used CS gas munitions in an effort to gain compliance from Gonzales. The munitions were successful, and Gonzales walked out of the residence unarmed and he was taken into custody.Gonzales was not injured and was later booked for several counts of armed robbery and aggravated assault on a police officer.

There were no injuries to officers or any other community members. The weapon recovered from Gonzales' home was later found to be a replica handgun.The officer involved in this shooting is assigned to the Special Assignment Unit and has been with the department for 15 years.

This incident is the subject of both an internal and a criminal investigation, which will be reviewed by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. 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.

Public records law required redaction of certain personal identifying information before video is released publicly. This is why you see some parts of Body Worn Camera (BWC) blurred or covered with a black box. Unedited, 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.

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.