Man is fatally shot by Phoenix police at city park
Jun 4, 2012, 5:51 PM | Updated: 10:34 pm
PHOENIX – A man has been fatally shot by Phoenix police
after reportedly
becoming belligerent for being turned away from using a
city park’s swimming
pool.
Police say the shooting occurred about 1 p.m. Monday at
Telephone Pioneers of
America Park near Union Hills Drive in north Phoenix.
The man was turned away by park staff because he didn’t
have a bathing
suit.
Phoenix Police Sergeant Trent Crump said park staff called
911
because the man
allegedly became physically
threatening with the workers. He had a baseball bat and,
at one point, hit a picnic table with the bat.
“The suspect began to approach the witness that was
calling [police], in this case with a baseball bat, made a
comment about I’m going to go after them instead, meaning
the police, [and] charged after them with a baseball bat.”
Officers fired several rounds at the man, who witnesses
said was in his mid-20s.
“This is a good neighborhood,” said Jody Wiseman, who
lives
in the area. “It’s not this… It’s scary.”
Police say the man was declared dead at the scene. His
name and age wasn’t
immediately released.
KTAR’s Sandra Haros contributed to this report.