From Thursday, March 19 through Sunday, March 22. For public safety, certain hiking trails are restricted from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Critical Incident Briefing - March 22, 2026 - 3800 E Thomas Road
WARNING: The attached video may contain strong language and graphic images that may be disturbing to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.
The Phoenix Police Department has released a Critical Incident Briefing video to provide details as we currently understand them related to an officer-involved shooting from March 22, 2026.
Officers responded to a call of shots fired just after 3 a.m. near 38th Street and Thomas Road. The officers heard multiple rounds of gunfire, and 911 received several calls reporting shots being fired. Officers requested the department’s Air Support Unit helicopter to assist in locating where the gunshots were coming from as they continued to circulate the area.
The Air Support Unit located a man in the backyard of an apartment with a gun and officers established containment in the area. Officers on scene began to evacuate community members to safety. During this time, the Air Support Unit’s pilot and Tactical Flight Officer saw the man load a handgun, point it towards the helicopter and shoot multiple rounds in their direction.
After deploying a drone to maintain a visual of the man in the apartment backyard, an officer saw the man raising a gun and firing it toward the Air Support Unit. Three officers then fired their weapons, striking the man.
The department’s Special Assignments Unit arrived on scene and entered the apartment, locating the man in the backyard in critical condition. The Phoenix Fire Department arrived on scene and transported him to a nearby hospital, where he remains hospitalized as of the release of this Critical Incident Briefing. No other community members or officers were injured from the gunfire.
The officers involved in this shooting are assigned to the Desert Horizon Precinct and Tactical Support Bureau and have between three and 10 years of service with the department.
This incident is the subject of a criminal investigation being conducted by the Major Incident Division of the Arizona Department of Public Safety and will be reviewed by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. It is also the subject of an administrative investigation being conducted by the Phoenix Police Department.
Conclusions about whether the actions of the officer are consistent with department policy and the law will not be made until all facts are known and the investigation is complete.
