1 dead in Phoenix officer-involved shooting

PHOENIX - Police identified the man who was killed Sunday night after an officer-involved shooting in Phoenix.

Phoenix police Sgt. Tommy Thompson said the incident began around 6:30 p.m. when officers went to an apartment near 7th and Van Buren streets to investigate a domestic violence call.

When police arrived at the home a woman who was a friend of 46-year-old William Alfred Shaw and his wife answered the door.

Thompson said as the two officers stepped to the threshold of the door, the man involved in the argument saw them and told them to get out of the house.

The man then pointed a handgun equipped with a laser at the officers who stepped back from the doorway and tried to find cover.

Thompson said the man quickly advanced to the doorway, pointing the gun so the laser went outside. When he got to the door he pointed the weapon at one of the officers and the two exchanged gunfire.

The man fell back into the apartment, struck by gunfire.

The man's wife and the other woman were able to get out of the apartment.

The Special Assignments Unit responded to secure the apartment and found the man inside with the gun next to him. He was dead from his injuries.

The officer who fired at the man suffered minor injuries; some abrasions and cuts to his hands and legs. Thompson said the officer is 26 years old with five years in the department.

The second officer did not fire his weapon, according to Thompson.

"Those are very, very dangerous calls for our officers to arrive on and to deal with, so sometimes they turn into gunfire and that was certainly the case in this one," Thompson said.

Police have not released the deceased man's name until all family members have been notified.

Thompson said investigators later learned the man was involved in a domestic dispute with his wife and was damaging items inside the apartment.

The investigation is ongoing and the officer who shot the man has been placed on administrative leave, standard policy for officer-involved shootings, Thompson said.