Tragedy struck in Gilbert on Wednesday, when local police officers found themselves confronting a lethal threat after responding to a welfare check. According to the Gilbert Police Department’s report, at around 6 p.m. near Lindsay and Guadalupe Roads, officers found 24-year-old Jacob Allen Rose slumped behind the wheel of his vehicle. Their attempt to engage Rose escalated swiftly when he armed himself with a firearm, forcing the officers to discharge their weapons in response to the immediate danger.
The situation escalated rapidly, with Rose allegedly attempting to flee while ramming his vehicle into patrol cars, prompting law enforcement to react defensively. Rose was pronounced dead at the scene, marking the end of what the Gilbert Police Department described as an “isolated incident,” affirming that there was no broader threat to public safety. No officers were injured in the incident, and aside from Rose, there were no other casualties reported. The East Valley Critical Incident Response Team (EVCIRT), with the Mesa Police Department leading the investigation, is set to release a Critical Incident Briefing video in the interest of transparency.
Earlier that same day, Gilbert officers were called to another grim scene. After a 58-year-old woman was discovered with suspicious injuries at a local memory care facility, her husband, 46-year-old Justin Davidson, became the subject of a murder investigation. “Staff told police that the woman’s husband, 46-year-old Justin Davidson, was in the room at the time of her death,” detailed the Gilbert Police Department in a separate release. Following an interview with Davidson, during which he allegedly admitted his direct involvement, he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder…