Editor’s note: The driver the officers were trying to stop at approximately 1:00 a.m. on Sunday prior to the shooting, has been identified as 18-year-old Javon Beasley.
___
Two Phoenix police officers are recovering from wounds suffered when a suspect opened fire on them as they drove along Maryland Avenue near 27th Avenue. One of the officers suffered a gunshot wound to his wrist. The injury is not life-threatening. A second officer received minor injuries from flying glass.
According to Phoenix Police Department, the incident started when two officers riding together tried to stop a vehicle for traffic violations. That vehicle took off and officers lost sight of it. The officers spotted the same vehicle a short time later and got behind the vehicle to attempt to stop it again. When the officers were driving along Maryland Avenue near 27th Avenue, someone standing along the road opened fire on police. A barrage of bullets struck the police vehicle. The passenger officer was hit in the wrist, the driver officer was injured from flying glass.
“This is the 7th Phoenix officer shot and 12th injured in the line of duty in the past three months. This kind of violence within our community and toward police officers cannot become the new normal,” said Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams.
“Another day, another ambush,” said Sam Stone, a leader in the Phoenix community and candidate for Phoenix City Council in District 6, referring to an ambush that left 9 officers injured in early February. “Defund the Police and the politicians who pushed it have created a culture where criminals routinely choose to open fire on police rather than comply with lawful orders. The entire movement needs to be denounced and we need to elect people committed to restoring law and order.”
RELATED ARTICLE: 9 Phoenix Police Officers Injured, 1 Woman And Suspect Dead In ‘Ambush’
Phoenix police say the driver the officers were originally trying to stop, ended up bailing out of his car and taking off on foot. Additional officers responded to the area, and took him into custody. He is being questioned. Both officers were taken to the hospital where they are being treated for their injuries.
Investigators continue to search for the shooter. The area around 27th Avenue between Bethany Home Road and Glendale Avenue remains restricted and part of an active scene.
Anyone with information that may help identify and locate the suspect in this case is asked to call police. You can remain anonymous by calling Silent Witness at 480-Witness.