Bodycam footage shows moments before Phoenix police shoot sexual assault suspect
By: Newly-released video footage and 911 calls reveal the tense moments leading up to a Phoenix police officer firing shots at a sexual assault suspect as he attempted to run from the victim's residence.
On the morning of Feb. 13, a woman was confronted by an armed man outside her residence near 19th Avenue and Berridge Lane. The woman's child observed the suspect grabbing her and called 911.
"There's a man holding her mouth," the woman's child told the 911 dispatcher.
Court records show the suspect, later identified as 35-year-old Edward Brown, allegedly forced the woman inside the residence and assaulted her.
Multiple officers responded to the victim's apartment and allegedly observed through a window Brown assaulting the woman, according to police.
Edited portions of the police body-worn camera footage show several shots being fired at the back of the residence. As officers made entry to the residence, one officer is seen walking to the other side of the apartment where the officer starts firing several shots at a man running away from the residence.
The suspect was subdued by the gunfire and taken to the hospital. The female victim was also provided medical care for her injuries.
A firearm believed to be used by the suspect was later recovered from the backyard. At least two of the officers fired their weapons during the incident, which is subject to an internal investigation.
Brown has since been indicted for several felony offenses that include burglary, aggravated assault, kidnapping and sexual assault.