Gunman in tactical gear kills two people and wounds five in Phoenix shooting
Two policer officers among those injured during violent incident in Deer Valley area
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A gunman dressed in tactical gear shot and killed two people and wounded five others in Phoenix, according to police.
Authorities in Arizona say that the suspect, who died by suicide, was armed with a semi-automatic rifle and also had incendiary devices, a gas mask, and a helmet.
The suspect, who has not yet been identified, killed one adult male, and one adult female during the violent incident on Sunday night.
Two police officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries, as did three adult males.
Phoenix police responded to shots fired in the Deer Valley area of the city at around 8.30pm on Sunday.
When officers arrived at the scene the gunman “immediately opened fire on several fully marked” patrol vehicles, leaving four “riddled with bullets.”
Officials say that one officer was shot in the shoulder, and the other was struck by shrapnel.
Police say that the shooting appears to have started at a motel in the area, where surveillance video shows the gunman leaving a room before opening fire.
“The suspect is seen firing his rifle into the motel then turning the rifle on a car pulling into the parking lot,” PPD said in a statement.
The suspect was then seen throwing a Molotov cocktail at a restaurant window, but it failed to ignite. Investigators say that the gunman was then seen “making his way through the parking lot and then falling to the ground.”
Police say that it appears he took his own life, but the Maricopa County Medical Examiner will formally rule on the cause of death.
Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams condemned the shooting, describing it as “another example of gun violence in our community.”
“How many more officers have to be shot? How many more community members have to be killed before those in our community take a stand? This is not a Phoenix police issue; this is a community issue,” said Chief Williams.