Phoenix officer shoots, kills man with scissors after stun guns ineffective

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — A suspect has died after being shot by Phoenix police officers in south Phoenix Tuesday morning.

Around 10:30 a.m., police were called to investigate the report of a burglary at a home on S. 36th Drive, near 35th Avenue and Broadway Road. During the investigation, officers found a man in a nearby alley holding a pair of scissors. Sgt. Robert Scherer says the man was told multiple times to drop the scissors and when he did not, at least one officer fired a TASER. “Multiple commands were given to this man to drop the weapon, and when the man did not respond to these commands, multiple taser deployments were attempted. All of which were unsuccessful. At this point, the man did lunge at officers with the scissors in hand,” said Sgt. Scherer.

Scherer says multiple TASER attempts were unsuccessful. The suspect then allegedly lunged at officers, and that’s when the shooting happened. He was treated at the scene and taken to a hospital, where he later died. Phoenix police confirm no officers were injured. Detectives are investigating, and it’s still unclear if the suspect was connected to the original burglary call. His identity has not yet been released.

Neighbors in the area say the suspect is a known homeless man who lived in the alleyway where the incident happened. One neighbor says there is a bit of a problem with people experiencing homelessness wandering into the neighborhood. “Up until now it’s been pretty calm. We do see homeless people around, but I had never seen anything like this in the four months I’ve been living here in this neighborhood,” said Isme Oroba.

This is the first officer-involved shooting in Maricopa County and the state in 2023.

Copyright 2023 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.