Phoenix police shoot, kill man pointing object that turned out to be water gun
Jul 9, 2021, 8:08 AM | Updated: 10:23 am
(Twitter Photo/@PhoenixPolice)
(Twitter Photo/@PhoenixPolice)
PHOENIX – Police responding to a mental health call in Phoenix on Thursday night shot and killed a man who pointed an object at them that turned out to be a water gun, authorities said.
The 64-year-old man allegedly told police he was armed before he pointed what appeared to be a handgun at them, prompting them to shoot, the Phoenix Police Department said Friday morning in a press release.
Police said the man had called 911 multiple times from a residence in the area of 27th and Northern avenues around 9 p.m. and made statements indicating a mental health problem.
Responding officers contacted the subject, whose identity was not made public, through the door and offered assistance, police said.
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The man then opened the door and said he had a gun before pointing an object at the officers, according to police. One sergeant and three officers fired at the man in response.
He was pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital.
The object the man pointed was later determined to be a water gun, police said.
No other information was immediately available.
It was the 12th shooting involving the Phoenix Police Department this year, according to data compiled by KTAR News 92.3 FM, and the 30th shooting involving law enforcement across the Phoenix area.
