Phoenix officer shoots suspect near bus station: 'He was violently attacking the officer'

PHOENIX - An officer-involved shooting was reported at a bus station near 27th Avenue and McDowell on the morning of March 8, according to Phoenix Police.

The shooting happened near the Tufesa bus station after someone reported that a man was "acting erratic" inside a business.

A police officer responding to the 911 call had found the man inside and went outside to speak with him.

"During their interaction, the man started to violently and physically attack the officer," said Sgt. Melissa Soliz with Phoenix Police.

Suspect was 'violently attacking officer' before being shot, Phoenix Police say

A suspect is in serious, but stable condition after being shot by a police officer near a Phoenix bus station on March 8.

According to Soliz, the officer used a stun gun on the man while the assault continued. At some point, the policeman lost control of the stun gun.

"The officer attempted to place the suspect in custody and the suspect forcefully turned around and kicked at the officer which caused the officer to lose control of this [stun gun]," police said. "The suspect quickly got up and continued to violently attack the officer. The officer discharged his firearm, striking the suspect."

The suspect, identified as 27-year-old Ethan Fuller, was hospitalized with serious injuries. He was released from the hospital and booked into jail.

No officers were injured. The investigation is ongoing.

The Phoenix Police Law Enforcement Association released a statement on the recent shootings, saying, in full:

"As members of the Phoenix community, our officers are passionate about the safety and well-being of Phoenix residents. Unfortunately, our officers encounter dangerous and potentially deadly situations that put our community and our officers at risk. This is the sad reality as violent crime continues to increase within our community.

This year, we’ve had 9 officer involved shootings. It is important to remember that each of these situations has their own unique circumstances and facts.

Of those mentioned, 6 suspects pulled handguns on officers and were met with a lethal response. In other situations the suspects had other deadly weapons and were advancing towards officers. Less lethal options were utilized but were unsuccessful in gaining compliance, leaving the officer with no other options to defend themselves from this imminent violent attack. This includes one suspect who had just stabbed one family member and was brutally murdering his wife when the officer arrived.

The incident today involved someone who called the police to turn himself in for a felony offense and attacked the officer when he arrived. The officer tried to create some distance and the suspect continued to fight with him and was tased. The taser had minimal effect, was kicked out of officer’s hand by the suspect who then began reaching toward his waist band, acting as if he had a concealed weapon on his person. Fearing for his life, the officer had no other choice but to end the attack using deadly force.

The common theme in most of these situations is our officers were responding to a call and subsequently attacked. Our officers never want to use deadly force but in these scenarios it is challenging to see any other option when the suspects are actively attempting to harm or kill the responding officer.

Our officers have the right to return home to their families in the same condition that they reported for duty. The community must demand that the violence being used against our officers ends immediately."