Phoenix officer fires rifle at man aiming handgun at helicopter

A Phoenix police officer discharged his duty rifle on Monday evening, striking a 69-year-old man who had allegedly aimed a handgun at a police helicopter. The incident occurred in a vacant lot in west Phoenix, leaving the suspect with life-threatening injuries.

Phoenix Police Department records indicate the event began at 10 p.m. on Nov. 2, when officers responded to an aggravated assault at a convenience store near 75th Avenue and Van Buren Street. Initial call details stated that the suspect had pointed a handgun at the victim and fled in a vehicle. Officers later located the suspect’s car in an empty lot on the northwest corner of 79th Avenue and Van Buren Street.

As a police air unit passed overhead, officers observed the suspect standing beside his vehicle. Police reported that the man was pointing a handgun directly at the helicopter. In response, an officer on the ground fired his rifle, hitting the suspect.

The man was transported to a hospital, where he is currently listed as having life-threatening injuries. No officers sustained injuries during the encounter. The suspect has not yet been publicly identified.

Sgt. John Buchanan of the Phoenix Police Department noted that the intersection on Van Buren Street between 75th and 83rd Avenues would remain closed for the rest of the morning and possibly into the early afternoon to facilitate the investigation. The Phoenix Police Department is investigating the underlying aggravated assault, while the Arizona Department of Public Safety is handling the inquiry into the officer-involved shooting.