ARIZONA NEWS
Officer fatally shoots suspect armed with knife at west Phoenix mental health facility
PHOENIX — An officer fatally shot a suspect at a mental health facility in west Phoenix on Tuesday after the man allegedly approached with a knife.
Officers were dispatched to the facility near 111th Avenue and Camelback Road around 10 a.m. after a call about the man making threats to cut himself and jump out a window, Phoenix Police spokesman Brian Bower said during a press conference.
Officers attempted to speak with 22-year-old Matthew Begay, who displayed a knife and started moving toward them, Bower said.
Begay didn’t listen to commands to drop the weapon, leading to an officer using a Taser on the suspect, according to Bower.
The Taser wasn’t effective and Begay continued getting closer, which is when another officer shot the man, Bower said.
Begay was taken to a hospital in critical condition, where he later died.
No one else was hurt during the incident, authorities said.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
It was the 16th shooting involving Phoenix police and 35th for law enforcement in the Valley in 2022, according to KTAR News research.
