An El Mirage Police officer shot and killed a Youngtown man, Erick Perez, age 22, who was armed with a handgun and two knives, had advanced toward the officer ignoring orders to stop. According to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, the officer believed Perez was a threat to his life and to others at the scene.
Perez died at the scene.
At approximately 10:00 p.m., September 10, 2017, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) deputies and El Mirage police responded to reports of shots fired in the area of 113th and Tennessee Avenues in Youngtown. A perimeter was set up at the apartment complex where Mr. Perez was believed to be discharging a weapon, and residents in living areas adjacent to the suspect’s location were evacuated.
Deputies and El Mirage Police announced their presence, and Perez confronted them. Perez, holding a handgun in one hand and two knives in the other, then advanced toward an El Mirage Police Officer who deployed lethal force. Perez had prior arrests and time served in the Arizona Department of Corrections for Arson, Burglary, Leaving the Scene of an Accident, and Violation of Parole.
MCSO provides law enforcement services to Youngtown and El Mirage Police were responding as back-up due to the nature of the call.
Body-worn cameras were activated by MCSO Deputies and the El Mirage officer.