Two officers opened fire during a foot chase near Country Club Drive after police said the driver fled an earlier traffic stop.
MESA, AZ — Two Mesa police officers fatally shot a man early Tuesday during a foot chase that followed a traffic stop near University Drive and Extension Road, authorities said. Police reported finding a firearm near the man after the shooting.
The encounter began around 1:45 a.m. Oct. 27 when Mesa officers stopped a vehicle near University Drive and Extension Road for a traffic violation, according to police. Detective Robert Katz said officers contacted the people inside the vehicle and were questioning the driver when the driver sped away.
Officers soon located the vehicle near 6th Street and Country Club Drive, less than a mile from where the initial stop occurred. Police said the driver was seen running from the area, and officers began chasing him on foot shortly before 2 a.m.
During the chase, two officers fired their weapons and struck the man, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities had not publicly identified him as of Tuesday afternoon. No officers were reported injured.
Police said a firearm was recovered near the man, but investigators had not determined publicly what happened immediately before the officers opened fire. Katz said investigators were still trying to establish whether the man pointed a weapon at officers. Police have not released details describing what each officer saw or what prompted them to shoot.
“Two officers discharged their firearms, and a firearm was located next to the person on the ground,” Katz said. Authorities have not released the names of the officers involved or additional information about the recovered gun.
Police also said other people had been inside the vehicle when the initial traffic stop occurred. Investigators were working to determine how many occupants were involved and to locate them as part of the continuing investigation. Katz said the shooting appeared to be an isolated incident and that police did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the community.
The shooting prompted an extensive police response around Country Club Drive and 6th Street. Authorities closed southbound Country Club Drive between 6th and 5th streets during the investigation, along with a section of 6th Street west of Country Club Drive. Police had asked residents and drivers to avoid the area while investigators processed the scene.
The Gilbert Police Department is leading the investigation into the police shooting through the East Valley Critical Incident Response Team, a regional group that handles critical incidents involving law enforcement agencies. The circumstances that led the officers to fire, the identity of the man who died and additional details about the other vehicle occupants remained under investigation Tuesday.
Author note: Last updated October 27, 2026.