Two officers opened fire after police said a Taser failed to stop the 20-year-old man as he ran toward them.
PHOENIX, AZ — Phoenix police shot and killed a 20-year-old man Sunday morning after authorities said he ran toward two officers while armed with a knife during a response to a report that he was threatening to harm himself.
Officers were called shortly after 11 a.m. Sept. 6 to an alley near North 18th Avenue and West Cheryl Drive, just south of Peoria Avenue, according to Phoenix police. A family member had reported that the man had a knife and was threatening harm to himself. His name had not been publicly released as of early Monday.
Police said responding officers found the man in the alley holding the knife and appearing to injure himself. Two officers repeatedly ordered him to stop and drop the weapon, but he did not comply, according to accounts provided by police to local news organizations.
The man then began moving toward the officers, police said. Officers deployed a Taser in an attempt to stop him, but authorities said the less-lethal weapon did not prevent him from continuing toward them. Police said the man then ran in the officers’ direction while still armed with the knife.
Two officers fired their service weapons and struck the man, police said. Officers attempted to provide medical aid after the shooting, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said a knife was recovered in the alley.
No officers or other people in the area were reported injured. Authorities did not immediately release the names of the officers who fired, their years of service or additional details about the number of shots fired.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety’s Major Incident Division is conducting the criminal investigation into the shooting. Phoenix police have used the state agency to investigate officer-involved shootings, separating the criminal review of an officer’s use of force from the department’s own administrative process.
Authorities had not announced any finding about whether the officers’ actions complied with law or department policy. Investigators also had not publicly released body-camera footage or a more detailed chronology of the encounter as of early Monday.
The shooting remains under investigation. Police are expected to release additional information as the review progresses, including the man’s identity after appropriate notifications and further details about the officers’ encounter with him.
Author note: Last updated September 7, 2026.