Phoenix officers fatally shoot woman they say pointed gun at them

PHOENIX – Phoenix police officers fatally shot a 47-year-old woman after she pointed a handgun at them early Monday, according to authorities.

The incident occurred near 27th Avenue and Indian School Road around 12:15 a.m., according to a press release from the Phoenix Police Department.

Officers on a traffic stop in the area heard shots fired nearby and drove to check it out when the woman flagged them down in a strip mall parking lot, police said.

The woman, identified Wednesday as Helen Jones, appeared to be concealing a weapon in her waistband but denied she was armed and refused to comply with commands, police said.

Two officers shot at her when she turned and pointed a gun at them, police said.

The Jones died after she was taken to the hospital.

Police said one of the officers who fired was a 24-year-old female with three years of service, and the other was a 26-year-old male with four years of service.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

It was the 25th shooting involving the Phoenix Police Department this year, according to KTAR News 92.3 FM research.

Related

Phoenix police officer shoots suspect who was driving toward peopleGlendale police officer fatally shoots man carrying metal barMan in medical distress dies after Phoenix police respond to apartment disturbanceMaricopa County drives nation-leading West Nile virus outbreak with 47 cases, 5 deathsFire damage suspected in collapse of bridge over Colorado River in western ArizonaArizona cattle rancher says it will take years to replenish herds