The footage shows 30 tense seconds leading up to the moment three officers fired on Robert Crockett on Sept. 9. Crockett, 26, was later pronounced dead.
The footage is part of the agency's “critical incident briefings," which are released after any police shooting or in-custody death. The briefings are narrated by officers and include edited compilations of body camera footage, dispatch audio and other information regarding an incident. Activists have criticized the department's decision to release edited videos, rather than complete footage, of fatal incidents.
The agency is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice for its officers’ use of deadly force, among other concerns. The investigation has lasted more than two years. Chief Michael Sullivan was brought in to lead the department in September 2022 as it dealt with the probe.
This year, Phoenix officers have fatally shot more people than they did in 2022 — with three months left in the year.
Police shoot and kill man after armed robbery
On Sept. 9, Phoenix police officers responded to a call regarding a suspected aggravated assault in the neighborhood of 85th Avenue and Indian School Road. According to the caller, the suspect took his car at gunpoint before driving off. The man reported that his phone and wallet were inside the stolen vehicle.GPS tracking in the vehicle helped police track it to Glendale Avenue. Officers in a police helicopter watched as a man entered a house. Officers and patrol cars swarmed the house before attempting to negotiate with Crockett to come outside.
“During negotiations, an adult female came out confirming that the suspect was inside. Negotiations continued until the man came out and walked to the driveway,” Phoenix police noted in a press release.
Police said negotiations lasted 24 minutes before Crockett came outside. Police have not released further details about the negotiations. Body camera footage of the exchange was not included in the video briefing.
In the released footage, Crockett exited the house on Glendale Avenue and walked down the driveway toward the street. A K-9 unit barked and lunged toward Crockett as an officer shouted, “Hey! Waistband!”
Officers continued to issue commands to Crockett, who did not comply, according to the briefing.
As several officers aimed weapons at him, Crockett raised his arm and is holding an object in his hand. It is unclear from the footage what the object was or if Crockett pointed it at the officers. Three officers fired shots and Crockett immediately fell to the ground.
Police said they attempted to search the house but noticed a strong odor of gas coming from inside the house. The officers retreated to put on safety gear before re-entering the home, where they found a green propane canister that had been left turned on. Once the search of the house was complete, police allowed medical personnel to treat Crockett. The Glendale Fire Department pronounced him dead.
According to the briefing, a pellet gun was found next to Crockett’s dead body.
A spokesperson for the Phoenix police declined to answer questions from Phoenix New Times about the video.
Robert Crockett was holding a pellet gun when he was shot and killed by Phoenix police officers on Sept. 9.
Phoenix Police Department
Phoenix police fatal encounters in 2023
Phoenix police officers have shot and killed 11 people so far this year. Officers were also involved in five other fatal incidents. In some of those cases, the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner determined that the deaths were not caused by officers.- Jan. 3: Officers shot and killed Cosme Medina Núñez, a 46-year-old man who was holding a pair of scissors.
- Jan. 7: Officers shot and killed Kenneth Hearne, 37, who was armed with a handgun. Hearne shot a Scottsdale police officer the day prior.
- Feb. 11: Bryan Funk, a 40-year-old man who had just been released from prison, died after multiple officers pinned him to the ground and restrained his legs during an arrest. The medical examiner later determined that Funk's death was the result of meth intoxication and a heart condition, according to a report obtained by New Times.
- Feb. 22: Derin Holmes, 41, died of a gunshot wound. Although officers fired at Holmes, Phoenix police said the fatal wound was self-inflicted. A subsequent investigation by the medical examiner also determined Holmes died by suicide.
- Feb. 22: Officers shot and killed Jason Resendez, 47, who pulled out a gun as officers approached him.
- Feb. 25: Officers shot and killed Matthew Anthony Sansotta, 36, during a DUI investigation.
- March 5: Officers shot and killed James Saucedo, 42. Officers said Saucedo shot a woman before they arrived. Body camera footage showed him grabbing his gun during a struggle with officers before he was fatally shot.
- March 6: Officers shot and killed Anthony Castro, 40. Body camera footage showed that Castro was stabbing a woman when he was shot.
- March 14: Police said Daniel Parra, 37, fled when officers tried to stop him as he walked in an HOV lane on Interstate 17. Officers chased Parra into a QuikTrip where he brandished a knife, barricaded himself in a storage room and set the room afire, police said. When SWAT officers entered the room, Parra was unresponsive. The medical examiner determined that Parra's primary cause of death was smoke inhalation.
- April 1: Officers shot and killed Dwight Cornwell, 76, after he fired a handgun into the air while they were investigating reports of an attempted burglary at an apartment complex.
- June 19: Luis Mateo Jacobo Borja, 29, died after shooting at multiple police officers during a pursuit, sending two officers to the hospital. It's still unclear whether Borja died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound or from an officer's rifle fire, police said. As of Aug. 14, the medical examiner's report on Borja's death was still pending.
- June 28: Officers shot and killed Juan Reynoso, 26, who they claimed was holding a gun, which later turned out to be a replica. His family has called for justice for his death.
- July 1: Officers shot and killed Raul Mendez, 35, while responding to a complaint about a burglary. They claimed Mendez tried to grab an officer's Taser during a struggle, although the available body camera footage does not show clearly what occurred.
- July 17: Officers shot and killed Armando Reyes, 35, after responding to a call about a car that crashed into a streetlight. Reyes was armed with a handgun, body camera footage from the incident showed.
- July 20: Javon Kevine, 44, died after being handcuffed by officers at a strip mall at 19th Avenue and Union Hills Drive. The medical examiner's report on his death is still pending.
- Sept 9: Robert Crockett, 26, was shot and killed by officers after allegedly committing grand theft auto with a handgun. Police said later the weapon was a pellet gun.
