Suburban Phoenix police shoot, kill suspect wielding steel pole
Jul 6, 2015, 2:20 PM | Updated: 4:11 pm
MESA, Ariz. — Police in Mesa shot and killed a male suspect wielding a steel pole in a Mesa neighborhood Monday.
According to city of Mesa Police Department detective Steve Berry, around 12:45 p.m., officers responded to a disturbance call in the area between the 400 to 500 block of East 6th Drive in Mesa.
“The call came in from a neighbor there who was reporting a man walking through the neighborhood acting erratically and trying to get into various apartments,” Berry told KTAR News. “Shortly thereafter, our first officer arrives, at which point one street to the north of there, he does encounter that same described individual.
“Just as our officers stopped, the suspect walks over to a pickup truck that’s parked along the street and takes out a large steel pole — the type of steel pole that’s typically used in landscaping or concrete work to break up very hard ground or concrete. Things of that nature.”
Berry says the suspect then advanced on officers who issued commands instructing the suspect to stop. When the he failed to comply, officers fired upon the suspect.
Mesa authorities provided aid to the suspect before he was taken to an area hospital where he was ultimately pronounced dead.
No other individuals were injured.
Mesa police have not yet identified the deceased suspect, as the incident is still under investigation.