Man who allegedly fired his gun into the air on New Year's Weekend was quickly arrested thanks to ShotSpotter

Man accused of firing gun into the air was quickly arrested thanks to ShotSpotter

Glendale Police officials say thanks to a technology that listens to gunshots, they were able to quickly arrest a man who allegedly fired his gun into the air on New Year's Weekend. FOX 10's Bailey Miller reports.

GLENDALE, Ariz. - A man accused of shooting his gun in the air on New Year's Weekend was quickly apprehended, thanks to a technology called ShotSpotter.

Glendale Police officers made the arrest within a matter of minutes of the first ShotSpotter alert.

"It was instantaneous in a matter of seconds they hear it," said Glendale Police Department Public Information Officer Tiffany Ngalula.

The officers were responding to another call when the technology alerted them of a shot fired.

"Sit down on the curb and come out with your hands up. Don't reach for that gun," Glendale Police officers were heard saying as they arrest Durran McIntosh.

"He thought he was seeing things are fired into the area of the apartment complex," said Ngalula.

McIntosh is a convicted felon, and he is accused of committing two felonies in connection with the incident, with one of them being firing a gun within city limits.

"It was very, very lucky that no one was injured," said Ngalula.

How does ShotSpotter work?

The technology utilizes microphones placed in different areas of the city. The system triangulates the noise, and sends that info to an expert in California who listens.

"They are able to determine the difference between a car backfiring, gunfire, fireworks, so we don't get false activations," said Ngalula.

Then, the ShotSpotter experts in California input the info on the officer's ShotSpotter app on their phone, alerting them in a matter of seconds about the call.

"Technology is amazing, and we are trying to use it to our advantage in a city as large as this," said Ngalula.

Officials with the Glendale Police Department say the technology is helping them save lives, because it cuts down on their response times, especially when they get the alert almost immediately after it happens.