PHOENIX — A suspect is hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after Phoenix police shot him near 79th Avenue and Van Buren Street.
Police said officers responded to reports of an assault at a nearby convenience store around 10 p.m. Monday. While searching the area, officers spotted someone matching the suspect's description a few blocks away.
When a police helicopter arrived overhead, the situation escalated.
"While the air unit was overhead, that suspect brandished what appeared to be a handgun and pointed it at the air unit. At that point, a Phoenix police patrol officer did fire his duty weapon at that individual, striking him with gunfire," a Phoenix police spokesperson said.
The suspect, only identified as a 69-year-old man, was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. No officers were hurt.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety is now leading the investigation into the officer-involved shooting.
Van Buren Street is closed between 75th Avenue and 83rd Avenue and is expected to remain closed for several hours.
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