Police officer brought to hospital in critical condition after shooting in Apache Junction

PHOENIX – A police officer was hospitalized from injuries sustained in an Apache Junction shooting on Monday morning, authorities said.

The officer, a 3-year veteran of the Apache Junction Police Department, sustained life-threatening injuries in a shooting involving a suspect, police said.

The suspect was also hospitalized after the shooting.

What led up to the shooting involving Apache Junction police?

Police received a call of a man driving a vehicle and brandishing a firearm near Ironwood Drive and Ray Avenue around 9:30 a.m., according to Cindy Ewer, the commander of the police department’s criminal investigations division.

Although police contacted the driver, he exited the vehicle with the firearm in his hand and left on foot, Ewer said.

He walked toward the intersection of Radiance Avenue and Davis Drive, less than a mile away from his vehicle, and refused to follow officers’ commands, Ewer said.

“We attempted less lethal ammunitions towards him to try to gain compliance. At that time, he brandished his firearms and fired at police officers,” Ewer said. “They returned fire, striking him, as well as one of our officers was struck by his gunfire towards us.”

The suspect was in surgery as of around 3:15 p.m. He is 37 years old.

This shooting is being investigated by the East Valley Critical Incident Response Team. The Mesa Police Department is leading that investigation.

No other details were immediately available.

This is a developing story.

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