Jimmie Strong says he was nervous as he drove up on a south Phoenix scene Thursday where police had a man surrounded, guns drawn. Strong saw the man refusing to comply with police, so he started recording.
"At first it was one officer with a gun pointed, but when I came around and jumped out of the car there were so many officers and guns pointed everywhere," he said. "So my main objective was to get across the street and out of the way of crossfire."
Little did Strong know, the suspect was wanted for murder. He's accused of killing Eli Tagaban at a home near 35th Avenue and Roeser Road. Police tracked the man to Southern Avenue near 33rd Avenue on Thursday morning.
"The man produced a handgun, one officer fired one shot from a rifle, ending the conflict before he got into the neighborhood," Phoenix police Sgt. Jon Howard said.
Police closed Southern Avenue to collect evidence. Meanwhile, family members at the other scene were looking for information.
"Right now we're just in desperate need to find out what happened," Tagaban's aunt, Maria Morrison said.
Tagaban leaves behind a teenage daughter and an infant daughter. His sister said she didn't know what the relationship was between him and the alleged shooter. Police called them associates.
Police said the suspect was hospitalized in serious condition.
