Phoenix Police Department Press Release Re: Alberto Espinoza Shooting
Critical Incident Briefing – October 13, 2024 – 9900 W Thunderbird Blvd.
October 25, 2024 11:00 AM
​WARNING: The attached video may contain strong language and graphic images which may be disturbing to some people. Viewer discretion is advised.
The Phoenix Police Department has released a Critical Incident Briefing (CIB) video that includes audio, visuals and information related to an in-custody death which occurred on October 13, 2024.
This incident began near 49th Avenue and Thunderbird Road when Phoenix police officers were dispatched to a shooting call.
The 911 caller told the operator a man was shot in the passenger cab of a U-Haul truck and the suspect was still in the area in a dark grey Nissan car. The caller said the shooter was at the U-Haul truck walking toward the Nissan as officers arrived on scene.
The caller told the operator that a man wearing dark clothes in a grey Nissan had been hanging around the U-Haul and was now back in the area. When officers arrived, they saw a man in dark clothing walk from the U-Haul and get into a grey Nissan Sentra. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle but it continued to drive away slowly. The officers activated their lights and sirens to get the vehicle to pull over.
Shortly after, the Nissan started to run stop signs and officers declared a pursuit. During the pursuit, the vehicle reached speeds over 90 miles per hour and ran through several red lights. A few minutes later, the Phoenix PD Air Unit arrived and took over the pursuit, which allowed patrol vehicles to back off. The vehicle continued and eventually stopped near 99th Avenue and Thunderbird Boulevard near a drug store parking lot.
The man parked the Nissan in the drive-through of the drug store and began walking away. Officers pulled their patrol vehicle behind the man and began giving him commands to stop. The man pulled out a gun and turned in the direction of the officers. One officer fired his duty weapon. At the same time, the man put his gun under his chin and shot himself.
After the shooting, officers moved in and provided aid until Peoria Fire-Medical arrived on the scene and took over lifesaving measures. The man was transported to a local hospital where he later died. The medical examiner determined the man died as a result of the self-inflicted gunshot wound and was not struck by officer gunfire.
Other officers responded to the original shooting scene and found a man in the cab of the U-Haul dead from a gunshot wound.
The handgun found where the man shot himself was forensically linked to the shooting at the U-Haul.
The officer involved in the shooting is assigned to the Cactus Park Precinct and has approximately seven years on the department.
Conclusions about whether the actions of the officers are consistent with department policy and the law will not be made until all facts are known and the investigation is complete. An internal investigation by the Professional Standard Bureau is currently underway, in addition to a criminal investigation. Once the criminal investigation is complete it will then be reviewed by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
Public records law requires​ redaction of certain personal identifying information before video is released publicly. That is why you may see some parts of Body Worn Camera (BWC) blurred or covered with a black box. Redacted video is released to local media in conjunction with the release of this Critical Incident Briefing for independent review and publication. Complete, unedited versions of the BWC are released to attorneys and the courts as evidence in a criminal case.