Police: Man pointed gun at Phoenix officers before he was fatally shot in Glendale
A suspected armed robber who led police on a pursuit across the Phoenix area pointed a gun at officers before he was shot and killed by Phoenix police Tuesday afternoon, officials said Wednesday, as more details and the suspect's identity were released.
Phoenix police responded to an armed robbery call near 32nd Street and Thomas Road at about 2:40 p.m. Tuesday when the suspect, identified as 24-year-old Timothy Odell Leon, fled in a vehicle he had stolen a few days prior, according to a press release from Glendale police spokeswoman Tiffany Smith.
Glendale police are investigating the shooting because it happened in that city.
Officers followed Leon west through Phoenix for an hour before he was stopped in a Glendale parking lot in the area of 6400 N. 64th Drive, Smith said.
While police closed in on Leon, boxing him in with unmarked vehicles, he pointed a gun at them, prompting three Phoenix police officers to open fire, Smith said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
"No officers or citizens were harmed during this incident," Smith said.
Leon was a suspect in five armed robberies, including Tuesday, which have had occurred over the last five days, three of which were carjackings, Smith said. Leon fired his weapon in each incident, striking one person during one incident.
Leading up to the shooting, Phoenix-area television stations broadcast live shots showing the car navigating city streets as police units remained at a distance.
They entered a parking lot near 64th Drive south of Maryland Avenue, in a residential area.
Unmarked vehicles boxed in the car as it tried to speed off, apparently hitting it on purpose to stop the driver.
The car came to a stop under a covered parking area, obscuring its view from the helicopter cameras, but the pictures showed smoke coming from under the parking cover and officers firing at the suspect. A K9 unit dog was then seen running toward the suspect.
The incident marked the 40th shooting involving the Phoenix Police Department in 2018, and the 72nd involving a law enforcement agency in Maricopa County this year, according to a database maintained by The Arizona Republic.
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