Phoenix police fatally shoot man near 59th Avenue and Osborn Road

A 27-year-old man was shot and killed in a gunfight with police Friday afternoon in Phoenix.

No officers were hurt in the incident, which occurred in a neighborhood near 59th Avenue and Osborn Road.

Sgt. Alan Pfohl, a Phoenix police spokesman, said officers had been called to the area regarding a man and woman fighting in the street at about 12:35 p.m.

When police arrived to find the pair in the front yard, the man pointed a weapon at officers, who then fired multiple shots in response. He ran to a nearby home, where he fired "multiple shots" at the officers, Pfohl said.

Officers fired back, striking the man at least once. Pfohl said the man, whose identity was being withheld, died at the scene.

The woman was detained for questioning.

He was the ninth person to be shot dead by law enforcement in Maricopa County in 2018.

Pfohl said this isn't a situation any officer wants to find themselves in. He acknowledged that police shootings are occurring more frequently in the Valley this year.

"The police are reactive," he said. "It's sad and it's scary that there's so many people willing to point their weapons at officers and shoot at officers. It's something we're very mindful of."

Multiple residents on the street told The Arizona Republic that they didn't hear or see anything prior to the shooting.

Alma Juarez said she came outside of her home find the large police presence across the street and a helicopter circling overhead. Neither she nor her mother had heard the gunshots.

"We were surprised," Juarez said. "Nothing like that happens here."

Return to azcentral.com for updates.