Mill was blocked off on Wednesday after a shooting occurred near campus. Tempe Police say an officer shot a man near the Tempe campus Thursday morning after he refused to drop a sharp weapon. (Photo by Kyle Burton)UPDATE: Police reported the suspect involved died Wednesday in a local hospital.
UPDATE: The area around Mill and University is now clear.
Tempe Police say an officer shot a man near the Tempe campus Thursday morning after he refused to drop a sharp weapon.
Tempe Police Sgt. Steve Carbajal said police received several calls around 8:15 a.m. about a man who was threatening people with either a knife or a box cutter near Fifth Street and Mill Avenue.
Officers located a man who fit the callers’ description at the southeast corner of Mill Avenue and University Drive outside of Chili’s, Carbajal said.
“Officers confirmed he had the weapon in his hand and asked him to drop it,” he said. “The man failed to comply with those commands.”
The man charged at one of the three officers surrounding him, and the officer pulled out his service weapon and fired at the man, Carbajal said.
The man was transported to a hospital to receive treatment for a gunshot wound. His condition is unknown.
Tempe Police are conducting two investigations after the event.
“We´re essentially conducting a criminal investigation of that first incident, and there's also an internal investigation taking places as it relates to the shooting,” Carbajal said.
Reach the reporter at dpbaltaz@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @dpalomabp
