A man died at a hospital after a shooting involving Phoenix police officers Saturday afternoon near Central Avenue and Roeser Road. No officers were injured in the incident, and police say there are no outstanding suspects as the investigation continues.
The man died at a local hospital following the shooting, according to ABC15 Arizona. Because the incident involved Phoenix police officers using force, the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s Major Incident Division is responding to the scene to take over the criminal investigation, per the outlet’s report. That handoff isn’t a matter of department discretion — under Arizona Revised Statutes § 41-1762, enacted under House Bill 2650, every Arizona law enforcement agency is required to refer officer-involved critical force incidents, including a peace officer’s firearm discharge due to a use-of-force encounter, to an outside agency such as DPS’s Major Incident Division, according to FindLaw. The law was designed specifically to remove potential conflicts of interest when municipal officers use deadly force.
What Happens Next in the Investigation
DPS investigators are handling the criminal investigation. Separately, Phoenix PD will conduct its own internal administrative review focused on whether department policy was followed, a dual-track process the City of Phoenix has outlined for prior officer-involved shootings. Phoenix police make public Critical Incident Briefing videos after police shootings or in-custody deaths.
Just four days earlier, on October 6, a non-officer shooting near 7th and Southern avenues — directly behind the South Mountain Precinct station — left a man in critical condition, a case Hoodline previously reported on. Officers stationed inside the precinct building reportedly heard those gunshots directly.
A Previous Fatal Use of Force
On October 2, 2025, Phoenix police responded to an attempted suicide call near 7th Street and Sunland Avenue, a call that ended with officers fatally shooting a man armed with a knife after he advanced toward them, according to the Phoenix New Times. Three officers deployed a mix of less-lethal tools and duty weapons in that encounter…