PHOENIX — A Phoenix police officer shot a man late Monday after police say he pointed what looked like a handgun at a police helicopter in west Phoenix, ABC15 reported.
Officers were called around 10 p.m. to an aggravated assault at a convenience store near 75th Avenue and Van Buren Street, Phoenix Police Sgt. John Buchanan told Arizona’s Family. Investigators say the suspect pointed a gun at the victim and then drove away.
Officers tracked the suspect’s vehicle to a dirt field near 79th Avenue and Van Buren. When the police helicopter arrived overhead, its crew saw the man standing next to his vehicle pointing a handgun at the aircraft, police said.
“At that point, a Phoenix police patrol officer did fire his duty weapon at that individual, striking him with gunfire,” a police spokesperson told ABC15.
The man, identified only as 69 years old, was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. No officers were hurt, and police said there are no outstanding suspects.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety’s Major Incident Division is leading the investigation, as is standard. It was the 40th police shooting in Maricopa County and the 70th in Arizona so far this year, Arizona’s Family reported.
Van Buren Street was closed between 75th and 83rd avenues Tuesday morning, and drivers were asked to avoid the area.
Sources: ABC15, Arizona’s Family. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Eileen dover019 / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.
