PD: Man shoots officer, self in Avondale barricade

AVONDALE, AZ - Police say a man who shot an Avondale police officer then himself is in stable condition at a Valley hospital.

EXCLUSIVE: Click on the first attached video to watch cell phone footage. A neighbor captured the scene moments after the officer was shot.

According to Avondale police Detective Reuben Gonzales, it all started with a call around 5:30 p.m. Sunday at a house near 107th Avenue and Indian School Road.

Officers were called out to the home after reports that the man may have been armed and was threatening a victim.

When officers tried to contact the man inside the home, a single shot was fired from inside and struck one of the officers in the leg, Gonzales said.

The injured officer, identified Tuesday as 40-year-old Sgt. Britt Gerdes, was transported to a nearby hospital. Gerdes was released from the hospital and will continue his recovery at home, Gonzales said Tuesday.

Avondale and Phoenix police officers immediately established a perimeter around the home.

Negotiations with the suspect took place over the phone, and it was determined that no one else was inside the home, Gonzales said.

Nearby homes were evacuated to ensure safety, he said.

Negotiations continued just after midnight when the suspect threatened to kill himself and anyone else who tried to enter the home, Gonzales said.

The suspect then reportedly stopped negotiating over the phone, which is when officers then started to communicate with him through a PA system from one of the SWAT vehicles on scene.

Gonzales said the suspect then began shooting at the officers.

The SWAT teams then deployed chemical munitions into the home as the man kept shooting at the officers.

Gonzales said the SWAT teams moved in and found the suspect down on the ground, inside the home.

The suspect appeared to have suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the upper chest area and was then taken into custody as SWAT medics began medical assistance, Gonzales said.

Gonzales said charges against Chan Sophann are pending.