A Prescott Valley man is dead after barricading himself in a shed and claiming to want to commit ‘suicide-by-cop.’
According to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, on Friday, January 15, 2021, around 9:45 p.m., deputies deputies responded to a home near the 11600 block of Hawthorne Lane in Prescott Valley after the 65-year old man started firing several shots towards the home. Deputies were told the man was depressed over ongoing family issues. When deputies arrived, they secured the area and learned the suspect was hiding in a shed on the property, still armed with a pistol.
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) SWAT and crisis negotiators were called out to negotiate with the man in an attempt to deescalate the situation. Instead the man refused to cooperate and threatened to kill deputies and commit ‘suicide-by-cop.’ At approximately 11:00 p.m., the man fired several shots towards deputies from the shed. No deputies were injured.
Just before midnight, the man began firing more rounds and a SWAT deputy returned fire, striking the man. He was pronounced dead on scene.
“This was an extremely difficult situation, and our thoughts are with the suspect’s family. I want to praise the efforts our deputies, SWAT, and crisis negotiators made during this incident and I’m grateful no one else was injured,” said Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes.
The Department of Public Safety’s Officer-Involved Shooting Team is investigating the incident, which is standard protocol.
The Sheriff’s Office will not release the man’s identity until all next-of-kin is notified.