Phoenix officer shoots suspect in leg after he allegedly refuses to drop knife
Nov 11, 2019, 9:10 PM | Updated: Nov 18, 2019, 4:50 pm
(Facebook Photo/City of Phoenix Police Department)
PHOENIX — Phoenix police said an officer shot a man in the leg Monday night after he advanced toward the officer while refusing to drop a knife.
Sgt. Mercedes Fortune said Tuesday that police responded to a business near 43rd Avenue and Camelback Road around 7:30 p.m. for a call about an armed robbery.
The caller said the suspect had a knife and had tried to mug him while he waited for the bus, Fortune said.
She said the first officer that arrived saw the suspect walking around a parking lot with a knife.
The suspect reportedly refused to drop the knife and advanced toward the officer. The officer then shot the suspect in the leg.
The officer was later identified as 31-year-old Brittany Smith-Petersen, who has one year of service.
Fortune said the suspect had injuries that were not life-threatening, and he was expected to recover.
It was the 32nd shooting involving law enforcement in the Valley this year and the 14th involving the Phoenix Police Department, according to statistics compiled by KTAR News 92.3 FM.