Phoenix police identify burglary suspect fatally shot by police officer

PHOENIX — Police named the suspect they believe was behind Saturday’s officer-involved shooting near 30th and Washington streets.

Phoenix authorities say Raul Mendez, 35, was robbing a business when officers arrived in response to a burglary call at around 3:30 p.m.

The incident took place at 3036 East Washington Street, officials say. Google Maps shows the location as Storage Sense, a gated storage facility.

According to an official statement, Mendez started struggling when the two officers tried to detain him. He allegedly tried to snatch an officer’s taser multiple times.

“The man did not obey officers’ commands,” according to a press release from the Phoenix Police Department. “This is when the officer involved shooting occurred.”

At around 4:20 p.m., the suspect was in critical condition, according to the department’s Twitter page.

Phoenix Police are investigating an officer involved shooting in the area of 30th Street and Washington Street. One officer has been taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect involved was also taken to the hospital for a gunshot wound. pic.twitter.com/Gl3qpKYrsq

— Phoenix Police (@PhoenixPolice) July 1, 2023

Mendez later died at a hospital. Police say no one in the community was hurt as a result of the robbery and shooting.

One of the officers fired his service weapon and left the scene with minor injuries.

The other officer on the scene didn’t fire, but had “serious injuries” that were not life-threatening.

Authorities are still investigating the details behind the initial burglary call and the shooting.

In the meantime, they’ve also arrested Sonya Gonzalez, who was on the scene with the suspect during the alleged burglary.

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