TEMPE, AZ — Police are investigating a deadly shooting involving the Mesa Police Department in Tempe Wednesday afternoon, near College Avenue and Baseline Road.
BREAKING:
— Zach Crenshaw (@ZachCrenshaw) September 29, 2021
Police say a 37-year-old man has died after being shot by the Mesa SWAT team.
The man shot & killed was a “bank robbery suspect from this past Monday.”
The man was “non-compliant & refused to exit the vehicle.” pic.twitter.com/KIF5sI7Kxe
A Tempe police spokesperson says Mesa officers were in the area trying to arrest the suspect of a bank robbery that occurred Monday near Stapley Drive and Brown Road.
Police say the man indicated that he was armed and was refusing to get out of a parked vehicle.
After negotiations failed, police say they used less-lethal means to attempt to get him to exit the vehicle. When the suspect got out, police say he was still not compliant and reportedly attempted to reach for a weapon in his waistband. That's when police say four officers opened fire at the suspect.
The suspect, identified as 37-year-old Stephen Phil Franco, was taken to the hospital but did not survive.
Police say a gun was later located on the ground near Franco.
Tempe police are handling the officer-involved shooting investigation and Mesa is handling the bank robbery investigation.
