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Phoenix Police Wound Armed Woman in Maryvale; DPS Investigating
Phoenix police shot and wounded a woman carrying a handgun near 73rd and Sells drives Wednesday night after officers used a less-lethal launcher and then a duty rifle. The Arizona Department of Public Safety is investigating the use of force.
PHOENIX â A Phoenix police officer shot and wounded a woman armed with a handgun in the Maryvale neighborhood Wednesday night, after another officer first deployed a less-lethal launcher, the department said.
Officers were called to the area near 73rd and Sells drives, between Indian School and Camelback roads, at about 7:15 p.m. after reports of a person with a gun, according to the Phoenix Police Department.
The department's Air Support Unit helped officers locate a woman carrying a handgun, and officers then gave her verbal commands, police said.
One officer fired a 40-millimeter less-lethal launcher, and a second officer fired a duty rifle, striking the woman, according to the department.
Even after she was struck, the handgun remained within her reach, police said. A team of officers and a police dog then took her into custody and provided medical aid.
Phoenix Fire Department crews transported the injured woman to a hospital. Her condition was not immediately released.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety is investigating the shooting. Under department protocol, additional information is expected to be released in a critical incident briefing video 14 days after the incident.
The shooting adds to a growing record of police use-of-force incidents in west Phoenix, a working-class, predominantly Latino area where residents have repeatedly pressed city officials for more transparency and independent review. The department's reliance on a less-lethal launcher before a firearm is consistent with its stated de-escalation policy, though the circumstances that led the second officer to fire remain under review.
No further details about the woman's identity or the events preceding the shooting were released. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Phoenix Police Department or Silent Witness.