Ax-wielding man shot, killed by police in Mesa neighborhood

A man who was armed with an ax was shot and killed by police officers on Monday night in a Mesa neighborhood.

What we know:

The incident began just after 7 p.m. on August 3 near Mesquite Street and Mountain Road.

Mesa police say officers were called to the area after receiving 911 calls that a man was assaulting his ex-wife and children with a shovel. The suspect was also reportedly seen walking through the neighborhood damaging cars with a shovel and was possibly armed with an ax and a gun.

"Several neighbors observed the altercation between the suspect and his ex-wife continue down the street and attempted to intervene before officers arrived," police said. "When an officer encountered the suspect, who was armed with an ax, the officer issued verbal commands. During that encounter, an officer-involved shooting occurred."

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The suspect was taken into custody and pronounced dead at the scene.

The man's ex-wife and children were not hurt during the incident.

What we don't know:

The suspect hasn't been identified.

What's next:

The shooting is being investigated by the East Valley Critical Incident Response Team, with Gilbert police leading the investigation.

Map of where the incident occurred:

The Source: Information in this report was provided by the Mesa Police Department. 

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