Phoenix police fatally shoot man they say pointed gun, refused commands

PHOENIX — Police shot and killed a man who allegedly pointed a gun at them and refused commands in Phoenix on Wednesday, authorities said.

Officers responded to a call about a suspicious person near 27th Avenue and Adams Street, south of Van Buren Street, around 5 p.m., the Phoenix Police Department said.

When they got to the scene they learned the man matched the description of a suspect sought by the Arizona Department of Public Safety for failing to stop a U-Haul.

A two-man police patrol unit found the suspect walking on 29th Avenue in a nearby neighborhood.

“When officers tried to contact the man, he immediately pulled out a handgun and pointed it towards officers,” Sgt. Brian Bower said in a press release Thursday morning.

The officers fired after the man ignored commands to drop the gun, police said.

The suspect, identified as 47-year-old Jason Resendez, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The investigation is ongoing.

It was the second fatal shooting involving Phoenix police over a span of about two hours Wednesday.

Around 3 p.m., officers killed a man they say shot at them in the area of 23rd and Glendale avenues, near Washington High School.

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