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Police shoot suspect claiming to have bomb in Mesa neighborhood

Posted at 5:26 AM, May 09, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-09 22:45:40-04

Police were involved in a shooting early Tuesday morning in a Mesa neighborhood.

According to officials, the incident occurred near Southern Avenue and Mesa Drive where a caller stated that the suspect was threatening to light a bomb. Officers perceived an "imminent threat" and shot the suspect on scene.

The suspect was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

No officers were injured.

The homeowner, Denise Ortega, said the man outside was "someone I dated very, very briefly - like 3 months -over a year and a half ago, and he just hasn't been able to move on."

She said she had an order of protection against the man, and she has called police about him in the past.

"He thinks impulsively and doesn't give any consideration to other people and how they could be affected or innocent people could be hurt," Ortega said. "That's very dangerous."

A family member of one of Ortega's neighbor was heading to work around 4:30 a.m., and says he saw the man sitting on the front lawn. When he told him to leave, the man started making threats to hurt himself and others, claiming he had a bomb.

The family said they called police and from inside the home could hear a "popping" noise before officers hustled them out of the house.  

The family involved says they were told they needed to stay out of the home while police swept the area and made sure there were no explosives on the property. 

"I don't wish bad on anybody, I just want him to get the help that he needs," Ortega said.

Mesa police have not said whether the man's device was a real bomb or a fake.

Police say Lincoln Elementary School down the road started late Tuesday morning due to the incident.