Phoenix police officers fatally shot a man on Thursday night near 79th Avenue and Mitchell Drive in west Phoenix’s Maryvale Village, where residents say gun violence has overtaken their neighborhood.
At about 10:30 p.m., officers received a call about a person who was possibly armed harassing another near 83rd Avenue and McDowell, Phoenix police said in a news release. The caller told officials they were following a vehicle the suspect was driving.
Police officers found the vehicle and tried to pull it over, but the driver sped off, according to the news release. The department used air support to track the vehicle to the area of 79th Avenue and Mitchell Drive.
The driver then fled from the vehicle and ran into a backyard, police said.
An officer spotted a man matching the driver’s description who “was seen with a handgun in his hand and raised it up,” the news release stated. Phoenix police said the man was shot once and died from his injuries on the scene, despite officers’ attempts to provide life-saving measures.
Police said officers found the gun at the shooting scene.
Officials warned that the area would be shut down while detectives investigated the situation. No further details, including the identity of the man shot, were available as of Friday morning.
Based on information previously shared by Phoenix police, this is at least the 18th person the department has shot this year and at least the fourth person they have shot this month. Based on data compiled by The Arizona Republic and this month’s most recent fatal shootings, there have been at least 14 people fatally shot by Phoenix police in 2024.
Residents express concern: ‘It’s been horrible’
Friday morning through at least the afternoon, police cordoned off a few homes on West Mitchell Drive and a few department vehicles could be seen parked on the street.
The cordoning blocked the entrance from 79th Drive, keeping back people Connie and Keith Rohrman hoped would spend cash on their two-day yard sale at their West Mitchell Drive home. The couple, who have been married for 40 years, have lived at the house that sits across from Starlight Park.
Situated between Mitchell and West Osborn Road, Starlight Park includes a baseball field, basketball court and a swimming pool. The seemingly tranquil community space has recently become a meeting ground for those looking to shoot their guns, the Rohrmans and neighbors told The Republic.
Keith Rohrman, 77, said there was a shootout Tuesday night between about eight male teens at the park’s baseball field. Though the teens fled, one returned in his car and was cornered by an officer before he dashed, Keith Rohrman said.
Connie Rohrman, 74, moved in across the park 53 years ago. “The last couple of years, it’s been horrible,” she said.
The Republic reached out to the City of Phoenix for comment on Friday afternoon. City offices were closed for the Thanksgiving holiday and no one immediately responded.
Among the group of friends helping the Rohrmans with their yard sale was Juliana Nuñez, 38. She said her sister discovered Wednesday morning that her house on West Whitton Avenue, immediately north of Mitchell, was riddled with 22 bullets.
Turning north around the street corner into North 79th Avenue, brothers Jose and Santos Ortega attested to how Starlight Park has descended into a shooting field where visitors often find bullets.
Next-door neighbors for 40 years, the 61-year-old Jose and the 69-year-old Santos discussed the series of rounds they heard emanating from about some blocks north. Santos Ortega said it sounded like 50 rounds from 10 firearms.
The brothers said they heard ambulances shortly after the gunfire ended. They said the nearby area between North 76th Avenue and West Indian School Road was closed for several hours.
The Republic reached out Friday to Phoenix police for confirmation about the reported shooting incidents Tuesday at Starlight Park and Wednesday near 76th Avenue and Indian School. Police did not immediately repsond.
This story has been updated to provide new information.
