PHOENIX — Officials say a man was shot and killed after he was throwing rocks and other items at patrol cars and officers Saturday night.
The shooting happened near 19th and Glendale avenues around 6:45 p.m..
Officials say patrol cars were driving through an intersection after responding to an unrelated call in the area when a man was throwing objects in the intersection.
Officers turned around and made contact with the man.
The man allegedly threw a rock at officers and did not follow officer commands.
The shooting occurred when the man attempted to throw a second rock.
The man was taken to the hospital where he died.
He has since been identified as 34-year-old Ali Osman.
ABC15 spoke with Osman's sister, Halima Osman, on Monday who says Ali helped everyone and grew up in Arizona.
“We came all the way from Minnesota to seek just for my brother,” said Halima just hours after getting off a plane with her family.
Ali’s loved ones told ABC15 they found out about the shooting after getting an early morning phone call from Phoenix Police.
“I believe it was wrong what happened to Ali,” said Halima.
ABC15 also spoke to a witness, Ron Dawlatzai, who says he and his wife Amina were driving in the area just as the shooting happened.
“The shooting happened out of nowhere,” said Amina.
“He only had rocks,” said Ron, describing the rocks as small.
“He wasn’t throwing no boulders,” said Ron.
It is unknown how large the rocks were or what else the man was throwing into the intersection.
“It just seems clearly that the wrong path was taking concerning this,” said local attorney Quay Smith.
Smith is now representing Ali’s family. He told ABC15 he’s also a former police officer.
“Based on what I’ve been told even with the presumed mental health, underlying mental health issues, and what the police have told us I still can’t find a scenario that justifies up to this point what happened to Ali,” said Smith.
Smith said they are going to file a civil suit in the coming days.
ABC15 pressed the Phoenix Police Department on details, including the size of the rocks and if any action was taken to deescalate the situation.
The department didn't answer any of the questions but said this is both a criminal and internal investigation and a briefing video will be released within 14 days.
It is currently unknown if any officers were injured.
This is an ongoing situation. Stay with ABC15 and abc15.com for the latest updates.
