Mesa police shoot, kill suspect in overnight confrontation
Feb 17, 2022, 6:21 AM | Updated: 10:24 pm
(Twitter Photo/Mesa Police Department)
(Twitter Photo/Mesa Police Department)
PHOENIX – Police in Mesa said officers fatally shot a man who was allegedly firing a gun in the street early Thursday.
An officer monitoring their real-time surveillance system video feed at Alma School Road and Main Street reported seeing two males arguing in the parking lot of a Circle K around 2:45 a.m., the Mesa Police Department said in a press release.
One of the men, later identified as 32-year-old Ringo Van Winkle, following the argument went to a bus stop before pulling out a gun, running into the intersection and firing multiple rounds, police said.
It is unknown who or what he was firing at, authorities said, with the man then seen walking back to the sidewalk.
The first officer encountered Winkle and the officer-involved shooting occurred shortly thereafter, authorities said.
Additional officers arrived and a less-lethal bean bag round was used to gain Van Winkle’s compliance, authorities said.
Police said as officers approached Van Winkle the man didn’t comply with verbal commands and one officer deployed a taser while another shot Van Winkle.
Life-saving measures were conducted on Van Winkle before he was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead just after 5 a.m., authorities said.
A gun was located near Van Winkle during an investigation of the incident, authorities said.
No additional information was available.
It was the fourth shooting by Mesa police in 2022 and 10th overall by law enforcement in the Valley, according to KTAR News 92.3 FM research.
