Video: Ariz. Police's Fight with Man with Knife Ends in Fatal Shooting
A confrontation with a suspect armed with a knife at a retail store last month ended with Phoenix police using Tasers before an officer fatally shot the man.
The incident happened just before 8 p.m. Oct. 20 when police arrived at the scene of a trespassing call at a Dollar Tree store, KPHO-TV reports. Body camera footage of the incident was released last week.
According to the 9-1-1 call, a suspect who appeared impaired was wielding a knife and terrorizing people in the store. When police reached the scene, the man walked away from officers and began climbing on a built-in freezer.
Officers ordered the man to get down, and he complied. But when officers tried to detain him, the suspect began running away.
A struggle between officers and the suspect ensued, and the trio crashed into store shelves. An officer deployed a Taser, and the suspect falls to the ground.
But the suspect got back up and began brawling with police again. As the fight continued, an officer picked up a Taser that had been knocked to the ground and used it on the suspect again.
The suspect knocked the Taser to the ground again and then grabbed the trigger. Activating the Taser appeared to shock both officers.
Finally, an officer opened fire and struck the suspect. Life-saving measures were performed on the man, but he died at the scene.
The two responding officers were rushed to the hospital, and they were later released.
Police recovered a fixed-blade, sheathed knife from the scene. The shooting is under investigation.
