MESA — State Route 87 is open again in both directions in Mesa after a police situation shut down the highway north of the Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway for most of Tuesday, the Arizona Department of Transportation said in an advisory sent to news media Tuesday afternoon.
The closure began shortly after 5 a.m., when Mesa officers tried to pull over a driver near the Loop 202 and Country Club Drive, which carries SR 87 through the city. Police told AZFamily the driver stopped on a side street just north of the freeway and, as officers approached, threatened to harm himself with a gun.
Officers spent the day trying to de-escalate. Around 6 p.m., Mesa police confirmed the man had been found with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He has not been publicly identified.
Country Club Drive was closed in both directions from McDowell Road to the Loop 202 during the standoff. ADOT reminds drivers that real-time highway conditions are available at az511.gov, through the AZ511 app or by calling 511.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 to reach the 24-hour Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Sources: Arizona Department of Transportation news release, AZFamily. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Alan Stark from Goodyear, AZ, United States / CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
