Phoenix police investigate police-involved shooting for ninth time this year

INDEPENDENT NEWS MEDIA

A Phoenix police officer was in serious but stable condition Tuesday after a shooting near 10^th Street and Southern Avenue.

A man died after being shot by another police officer during a scuffle after the victim pulled out a gun and shot the injured officer in the leg, police said.

The incident began at approximately 2:55 a.m. on May 28, when two officers patrolling the area stopped a man on a bicycle for a traffic violation, a news release said.

“The officer in the passenger seat got out to contact the man. The man immediately became combative. A struggle ensued and the officer driving the Tahoe patrol car came around his vehicle to assist the first officer in apprehending the suspect,” the release said.

During the struggle, the man pulled out a handgun and fired it, striking one of the officers in the leg, police said. The other officer returned fire, striking the man. The man, who was disarmed at the time, ran a short distance down Southern Avenue and was arrested by arriving officers.

He died later in hospital.

According to the press release, this was the ninth police-involved shooting in 2024. There have been eight incidents in which police officers were shot directly, three of which resulted in officers being shot in the line of duty.

“This is an example of the violence officers face every day while protecting our community,” said Acting Phoenix Police Chief Michael Sullivan.

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