ARIZONA – (Phoenix PD / Scroll Down For Video) – The Phoenix Police Department released a Critical Incident Briefing (CIB) video that includes audio, visuals and information related to an officer-involved shooting (OIS) which occurred on July 8, 2021, in the area of 27th Avenue and Augusta Avenue.
This incident started when a man, later identified as Stanley Howard, called 911 and requested police officers respond to his residence. Officers responded at approximately 8:20 p.m. When they contacted him, he was uncooperative and broke a window, injuring his hand in the process.
Howard called 911 again as the officers were walking away from his house and returning to their vehicles.
Officers returned to Howard’s home about six minutes after they left from the first incident, at about 8:30 p.m., to offer medical aid for his injured hand. Again, he was uncooperative.
The Phoenix Fire Department arrived on scene, and officers notified them Howard was refusing assistance.
Howard continued calling 911 13 more times over the next 45 minutes.
At about 9:10 p.m., Phoenix Fire personnel were dispatched to Howards home to provide medical aid. The fire department requested Phoenix Police make contact first to ensure the safety of their personnel, due to the statements Howard made on the 911 calls.
At about 9:15 p.m., officers responded for the third time to Howard’s residence. The officer who spoke with Howard, as well as the sergeant on scene, are both Crisis Intervention Certified Officers, or CIT. Officers who are CIT certified are trained in recognizing behaviors and managing situations involving persons experiencing mental crisis.
During this contact, Howard tells the officers he has gun, and points an object resembling a handgun at them.
After the shooting, officers backed up to a safe location. They believed Howard was still armed with a gun and used less-lethal munitions from behind a shield to attempt to gain compliance. Howard did not respond to the officers’ commands.
Once it was deemed safe to approach, officers did so with the shield. After confirming he was unarmed, officers moved howard to a safe location.
Officers administered first aid until Phoenix Fire personnel transported Howard to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
The object used by Howard to simulate a handgun was later determined to be a water gun.
There was one sergeant, and three officers involved in this shooting. All are assigned to the Cactus Park Precinct. The sergeant has been with the department for 15 years. Two of the officers have been with the department for two years, and one for four years.
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 required redaction of certain personal identifying information before video is released publicly. This 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.
