A 70-year-old Phoenix man was hospitalized after pointing what turned out to be a toy gun at passing drivers and responding officers.

Drivers called 911 at approximately 5 p.m. Thursday to report that a man was pointing a gun at cars while he walked eastbound on Deer Valley Road near 44th Street, police said.

Two officers arrived and confronted the man who, unbeknownst to police, had only a toy gun.

The man pointed the gun at police, which led to one officer shooting the man, police said.

The suspect, who was in serious condition after the shooting, has not been identified.

No officers were hurt.

Officers did not know at the time of the confrontation that the man's gun was a toy, Officer James Holmes, a police spokesman, said.

"[The incident is] shocking to me, living in this area," Molly Haddid, who lives in the neighborhood next to the shooting scene.

"You don't expect it to happen."

The suspect lives in the neighborhood next to where he was shot, police said.

Information about the man's mental status or any criminal past was not available, Holmes said.