Phoenix police release bodycam footage of shooting by officer at bus station
By: Phoenix police released edited snippets of body-camera footage depicting a police shooting that occurred at a Tufesa bus station in the area of 27th Avenue and McDowell Road on March 8.
Sgt. Melissa Soliz, a Police Department spokesperson, narrates the "critical incident briefing," saying officers received two 911 calls to a business in the area. Soliz said the first call was from a man calling for an officer so that he could turn himself in, while the second call was from an employee saying the first caller was yelling and screaming.
An officer arrived at the business and walked outside with the man to talk about what was going on. Soliz said the man eventually pushed the officer away. The officer responded by deploying a stun gun on the man, causing him to fall to the ground. As the officer moved in to arrest the man, Soliz said the man kicked the officer and caused the officer to drop the stun gun.
Soliz said the man continued to attack the officer before the officer backed away and fired his gun at the man. The man was treated at the scene by police and fire personnel before being taken to a hospital in serious but stable condition.
Body-camera footage shows the officer walking into a Tufesa bus station and asking who called him, and then addressing a man wearing a blue sports jacket. The two walk out of the bus station when the officer asks the man what's going on.
"So, I'm here because, um ..." the man says as he takes a step toward the officer.
"Stop going closer to me," the officer responds.
The man stands and remains silent for several seconds, before becoming aggressive and shoving the officer away.
The officer says, "Watch out, dude," before pulling out his stun gun and firing it as the man steps forward. The man immediately collapses to the ground.
"Don't f------ touch me," the officer says. "Get your arms out. On your back, now."
The man can be seen kicking the stun gun out of the officer's hands and screams unintelligibly as he attacks the officer. The officer runs away from the man into the parking lot when he fires twice at the man, who immediately collapses.
Soliz said police are still investigating whether the man was involved in previous crimes for which to turn himself in. The officer who shot the man is assigned to the Maryvale Estrella Mountain Precinct and is a six-year veteran with the department.
Soliz did not say whether the man remained at the hospital or what criminal charges he may face.