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On Wednesday, November 2, 2022, a man was fatally shot by Phoenix police officers after he reportedly fired at people in a strip mall parking lot.
Days after the incident, the Phoenix Police Department released a critical incident briefing video that included a summary of the shooting. The suspect who died in the shooting was identified as Leontae Kirk, 29.
The incident happened in a strip mall parking lot near 37th Avenue and McDowell Road. Police responded to a 911 call that said someone was pointing a gun at the caller. Upon arrival, police found the alleged shooter firing at other people in the parking lot. In response, officers shot the man, who later succumbed to his injuries.
The critical incident briefing video released included bodycam footage of the responding officers and surveillance camera videos from the parking lot. The 911 call was also included in the video where the caller can be heard describing Leontae Kirk and saying:
"Someone's pulling a gun on me."
Bodycam footage shows officers surrounding the shooter before firing at him. One of the officers can be heard saying, "I got him down." In surveillance camera videos, multiple people wielding firearms can be seen running around the parking lot and hiding behind parked cars.
Phoenix police officers allegedly used a "less lethal tool" after shooting the suspect fatally
On November 2, Phoenix police officers rushed to a strip mall parking lot after receiving reports of an active shooter in the area. According to the responding officers, they found multiple people carrying guns in the area while one of them was shooting at the others.
Surveillance camera footage shows Leontae Kirk entering a convenience store before engaging in a verbal altercation with another man. The two men then left the store and pointed guns at each other. Soon after, police arrived at the scene and fired at the shooter, wounding him fatally.
Phoenix police have confirmed that Kirk was shot by three different officers. One of them did not activate their body camera until after the shooting. In a statement, police said:
"After the shooting, officers moved up and used a less-lethal tool in order to encourage the suspect to show his hands. After no response, the officers moved up and provided aid until the fire department arrived."
The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. According to Fox10, a witness who lives in an apartment complex across the scene of the shooting said that he heard the shots and saw children running away from the scene.
Recalling his experience, he said:
"I just told those kids, 'Lay down, lay down,' 'cause I didn't know what was going on. They tried to jump the fence. I didn't know what was going on. Heard some shots, and like 16 shots. The kids started crying and everything."
According to police reports, no one else was injured in the shooting.
