Suspect dead following officer-involved shooting near Downtown Phoenix

Officer-involved shooting turns deadly in Phoenix

A man who was wanted on two felony warrants has died, following an officer-involved shooting near Downtown Phoenix that shut down a roadway for hours. FOX 10's Taylor Wirtz has the latest.

PHOENIX - A man wanted on two warrants has died, following a shooting that involved the Phoenix Police Department near Downtown Phoenix.

What we know:

Per a statement released by Phoenix Police on the evening of April 29, officers from the department's Special Assignments Unit were in the area of 7th Avenue and McDowell Road. They were trying to contact "a man with felony warrants who had recently been involved in an aggravated assault on a Tolleson Police Officer days earlier."

According to officials we spoke with, the suspect first engaged with Tolleson Police at around 1:00 a.m. on April 28, when they say they saw the suspect driving, and identified him as someone with the warrants out for his arrest in Maricopa County. 

"It was an extensive search. They brought the canine, helicopter was out there and we were not able to locate him that night," Detective Gerardo Ruiz of the Tolleson Police Department said.

The suspect was then followed to a driveway, where he refused to stop, showed a handgun, and ran away from police.

What they're saying:

Officers found the man later that morning on McDowell Road near 7th Avenue. "As he walked through the alleyway, he pointed a handgun at one of our officers, pointed the handgun a second time and that is when the officer involved shooting occurred," Detective Ruiz said. 

The man, according to police, was taken to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The handgun was found at the scene. 

No officers or community members were injured during this incident.

"What it comes down to- we have the same goal which is to apprehend the suspect. Especially when it involves a violent crime like this one," Detective Ruiz added. "Phoenix is one of the biggest agencies, if not the biggest agency in Arizona so we know that they are professionals, they have a lot of resources, they have a full time SWAT team. They have a lot of things that smaller agencies might not have or might not have full time."

What we don't know:

Phoenix Police did not release the suspect's identity.

Local perspective:

We spoke with several people in the area who overheard the commotion, as well as some who were just coming to pick up their dogs from daycare when they saw the scene.

"It all happened right behind my house," said one area resident. "Just heard a bunch of pops, and just heard the officers' OK in the shooting, and the suspect is down, and just really grateful for our officers and really glad they’re safe."

"I saw police out in the parking lot, blocked off all the way around," said one person who was picking up their dog. "I came up on 7th [Avenue], I couldn’t even turn to come in. When I came to check on my dog, I had to park over here in the veterinarian lot. I came to bring my dog, and the lady in there was telling me they were telling them don’t look in the parking lot."

Dig deeper:

Both departments say cross-agency cooperation remains an essential tool for protecting the public.

"If they request our assistance, we also can provide assistance to them and vise versa. They agreed to help take down this individual and it led up to today," Detective Ruiz said. 

"Often times other officers will enter other cities, let our dispatchers know that they have something going on and we can either standby or if they need assistance – we’ll assist them if they need it," Jennifer Zak with the Phoenix Police Department said. 

What's next:

Phoenix Police say Major Incident Division of the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) will investigate the shooting.

Area where the incident happened