Gunman dead, victim in hospital after shooting outside Amazon warehouse in Chandler
Dec 14, 2022, 11:09 AM | Updated: Dec 15, 2022, 8:05 am
PHOENIX — One man died and another was wounded in a shooting involving three people outside an Amazon warehouse in Chandler on Wednesday morning, authorities said.
Officers who responded to the warehouse parking lot near McQueen and Queen Creek roads around 9:30 a.m. found two men who’d been shot, one fatally, a Chandler Police Department spokesman said during a press conference.
Sgt. Jason McClimans said a man who doesn’t work for Amazon showed up and shot a contract employee for unknown reasons.
“Another Amazon contractual employee then shot back at our original shooter,” he said. “The original shooter is deceased.”
The victim, who was unarmed, was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, McClimans said.
The man who shot the gunman is cooperating with authorities and isn’t considered a suspect.
“He did come to the aid of an individual who was being shot by our suspect,” McClimans said. “So in that case, I would say he is a good Samaritan.”
The deceased was identified as 29-year-old Jacob Murphy. Police said later it wasn’t clear whether he was killed by the other shooter or a self-inflicted wound.
McClimans said the shooting occurred 100-150 yards away from the buildings.
News helicopter footage showed a heavy police presence in the parking lot.
Police said the shooting was a personal issue not related to the workplace.
An Amazon spokesman told The Associated Press the company is working with law enforcement as it investigates the shooting.
Operations at the complex were suspended after the shooting and all of its employees and partners were sent home with pay, the spokesman said.
The Chandler complex operates as a pickup zone for contracted Amazon Flex drivers and others, who pick up packages to typically deliver for the same or next day to customers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
