Authorities identify armed suspect shot dead by police in north Phoenix

Authorities identified the armed suspect who was shot and killed by police in north Phoenix early Thursday.

Mar 17, 2026, 3:52 PM Updated: 3:53 pm

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PHOENIX – Authorities on Tuesday identified the armed suspect who was shot and killed by police in north Phoenix on March 12.

The incident occurred in the area of 32nd Street and Paradise Lane, between Greenway and Bell roads, according to the Phoenix Police Department.

Officers responded to multiple calls about gunshots just after 2 a.m., Phoenix Police Sgt. Jen Zak said during a press conference.

“Once officers arrived on scene, they located (22-year-old Aiden Piekarz) in the roadway holding a gun,” Zak said.

“(Piekarz) approached officers with his gun and didn’t obey commands. This is when the officer-involved shooting occurred.”

Piekarz fell to the ground after the initial gunfire. He then allegedly pointed his gun at an officer, who shot Piekarz once, police said.

Officers then took Piekarz into custody and recovered his firearm.

Piekarz died after being taken to a hospital by Phoenix Fire Department responders.

No officers or other citizens were injured, and there are no known outstanding suspects.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety Major Incident Division is conducting an investigation into the police shooting.

The Phoenix Police Department is also conducting an internal investigation to determine if policies were followed.

Was deadly incident connected to nearby shooting hours earlier?

Investigators are looking into whether the suspect was connected to a nearby shooting that injured three minors on Wednesday night.

“We can’t confirm if it’s related or not, but they are looking into every avenue,” Zak said.

Officers responded to Wednesday’s incident near 28th Street and Greenway Road, about a mile from police shooting, around 10:10 p.m.

They found two juvenile males suffering from serious gunshot wounds. Phoenix Fire Department responders took them to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Police also learned that a third juvenile male had been transported to a hospital before police arrived.

Officers canvassed the area but did not locate a suspect.

Anyone with information about either shooting incident is asked to call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS (948-6377) or 480-TESTIGO (837-8446) for Spanish. Callers can remain anonymous, and tips that lead to an arrest could be eligible for a cash reward.

KTAR News Web Content Editor David Veenstra contributed to this report.

Kevin Stone KTAR.com Senior Editor

Kevin Stone is KTAR's Senior Web Content Editor. He is a seasoned journalist who was born in New York and grew up in Phoenix. He got his start doing agate for the Mesa Tribune sports section in the 1990s while completing his print journalism degree.… Read more

Comments

5 Comments

Da Contractor 5 months ago

Northside hoodlums like playing stupid games with law enforcement. Darwin candidate for sure…

Road Runner 5 months ago

I wonder if Darwin Award winners get a golden statuette (posthumously) like the Oscars

C in Texas and Arizona 5 months ago

“No officers or other citizens were injured…”

Well, that’s good!!

Authorities identify armed suspect shot dead by police in north Phoenix

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