By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• Phoenix police shot a man after he allegedly fired multiple rounds at a police helicopter in an east Phoenix neighborhood.
• Officers were responding to reports of gunfire early on March 22 when the helicopter located the armed suspect.
• Nearby residents were evacuated before officers engaged the suspect, who continued firing at the aircraft.
• Ground officers returned fire after the suspect raised his handgun, striking him in a backyard.
• The suspect survived and remains hospitalized; investigations by local and departmental authorities are ongoing.
PHOENIX, AZ — A man was shot by Phoenix police after he allegedly fired at a police helicopter multiple times during an early-morning incident in east Phoenix, authorities said.
Officers were dispatched shortly after 2 a.m. March 22 to reports of gunshots in the area of 38th Street and Thomas Road, where aerial units assisted ground personnel in locating the source of the fire.
Police said the aerial crew observed a man armed with a handgun in the backyard of an apartment complex and that the suspect fired rounds toward the police helicopter, prompting evacuations of nearby residents.
Ground officers responded to the location, and after the suspect reportedly raised his handgun and continued firing, they returned fire, striking him in the backyard, Phoenix police officials said.
The suspect was transported to a local hospital with injuries. The Phoenix Police Department is conducting a criminal and administrative review of the incident, and no additional information has been released.