Police identify man fatally shot while brandishing handgun on Phoenix bus

PHOENIX – Officers fatally shot a man who was brandishing a handgun on a bus near Metrocenter Mall on Tuesday, police said.

The man was later identified as 34-year-old Rabi Brown.

It was the 23 officer-involved shooting in the city this year, according to the Phoenix Police Department, surpassing 2017’s total of 21.

Police received a call at around 12:15 p.m. about a man handling a gun at the transit station terminal at 9400 N. Metro Parkway West.

When a sergeant and an officer arrived at the scene, a security guard told them the suspect had boarded a bus, along with a number of other passengers, according to a Phoenix Police media advisory.

The guard identified Brown in the back of the bus, and the sergeant ordered the him not to touch his weapon.

Brown ignored the command and took the handgun from his pocket. Both policemen fired and struck him.

Aid was rendered, but Brown was pronounced dead at the scene. Nobody else was injured.

A live handgun round was later found on the ground near where Brown had been seen in the station.

The sergeant was 47 years old with 22 years of experience in the department. The officer was 29 with five years in the department. Their names weren’t released.

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