Bodycam video shows Phoenix officer returning gunfire, killing homeowner after wellness check
By: Phoenix police released a critical incident briefing on Thursday containing snippets of body-camera footage depicting a fatal police shooting that occurred two weeks ago that left one man dead.
In the video, Sgt. Rob Scherer, a department spokesperson, says officers responded to an area near 33rd and Taylor streets on January 11 after receiving a call from someone requesting a welfare check on their neighbor. The caller told police they hadn't seen their neighbor in several days and that water was leaking out of the home.
An officer tried to contact someone inside the home using both the front and back doors but didn't hear a response. They re-attempted to contact someone inside the home after a second officer arrived.
Scherer said the officers eventually found a man standing near the open back door and demanded to see his hands.
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Body-camera footage shows an officer announcing his presence and asking if anyone is inside the home. Water can be heard running.
Shortly after, a man appeared and told the officer that he was irrigating.
"That's more than irrigating," the officer responded. "The house is leaking."
The man dismissed the officer's concerns and can be heard saying, "I got it — I'm working on it."
The officer can then be heard asking and then demanding that the man show him both of his hands before retreating from the house, while gunshots can be heard.
Body-camera footage from the second officer shows him returning fire while crouching down in the backyard.
Scherer said more officers responded and surrounded the home before entering, where they found the man dead. Both officers are 16-year veterans with the department and were assigned to the Mountain View precinct. Scherer did not identify the officers.