No charges put forth for Buckeye officers in 2016 shooting

PHOENIX — Two West Valley police officers will not face charges for the 2016 shooting of a suspect in a Buckeye neighborhood.

A Maricopa County Attorney’s Office review board said Officers Larry Biffin and A. Price were acting in self-defense against William Ferguson. The exchange was captured in a body camera video released Thursday (WARNING: Contains graphic footage and explicit language).

The officers were called to Ferguson’s home near Watson Road and Southern Avenue last June; family members reported he’d shot his wife. The officers were outside gathering information when Ferguson pulled up in a white pickup. He fired a semi-automatic rifle at them, breaking one of the patrol-vehicle windows.

Biffin returned fire, then Ferguson started shooting again. Police said Officer Justin Ricks arrived during the shootout and fired multiple rounds from his AR-15 at Ferguson. The man was later found dead in his home, with two gunshot wounds. One was self-inflicted.

Bodycam footage released Thursday shows Biffin loading his semi-automatic rifle. Gunshots were heard before he hit the ground behind a police SUV. The footage also shows Biffin returning fire. The footage had been withheld until the county attorney’s office completed its independent review of the shooting.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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