Mesa PD: Man fatally shot by officers after raising BB gun

Bree Burkitt | The Republic | azcentral.com

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Police confirmed a man found dead after a police shooting in Mesa on Saturday night was killed by law enforcement.

Detective Nikolas Rasheta, a Mesa police spokesman, said officers fired at 53-year-old Michael Fletcher after he raised a gun at officers outside of a home near McKellips and Lindsay roads.

He was later found dead in the home, with a BB gun near his body, Rasheta said.

"It appears Fletcher died from a single gunshot wound that is suspected to come from the officer’s duty weapon," Rasheta said by email Sunday.

Mesa police responded to a 911 hang-up call from a residential area at about 5 p.m. Saturday. When they arrived, they found an "agitated" Fletcher with a woman.

Police escorted the woman away from the home, but Fletcher refused to talk to officers. He yelled at officers and would not follow directions as he walked back into the house, police said.

MORE: Phoenix committee recommends study on police-shooting uptick

Fletcher then came outside with what police initially said appeared to be a handgun but later determined was a BB gun. Fletcher raised the non-lethal weapon, causing one of the officers to fire back, Rasheta said.

Fletcher then walked back inside the home, resulting in what appeared to be a barricade situation. SWAT officers later found him dead inside, Rasheta said.

The police shooting was the 44th that The Arizona Republic has reported on in 2018 and the second to happen in the Valley on Saturday. In Phoenix, police fatally shot a man after he allegedly pointed a gun at multiple people while walking down the street, officials said.

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