Video: Phoenix Officers Return Fire as Man Shoots at Police Helicopter

Source Officer.com News

Aerial video footage captured a man repeatedly firing a handgun toward a Phoenix police helicopter before he was shot by officers responding to reports of gunfire in a residential neighborhood.

Officers were dispatched just after 3 a.m. on March 22 to reports of shots fired, where they heard multiple rounds of gunfire upon arrival and requested air support to help locate the source, according to the department. Police aerial personnel located a man armed with a handgun in the backyard of an apartment complex, and officers began evacuating nearby residents to safety.

As officers secured the area, air unit personnel saw the man load a handgun, point it at the helicopter and fire multiple rounds toward the aircraft. Officers deployed a drone to maintain visual contact with the suspect.

Moments later, an officer observed the man again raise the handgun and fire toward the helicopter. Three police officers then fired their weapons, striking the man.

Special Assignments Unit officers entered the apartment complex and located the suspect in the backyard in critical condition. Medics rushed the man to the hospital, where he remains hospitalized.

No officers or community members were injured during the incident.

The shooting is under investigation.