PHOENIX – One Chandler police officer and two suspects are dead and another officer remains in the hospital in critical but stable condition after a shootout in a South Phoenix home.
Those three officers, along with at least 12 other officers, were reportedly working undercover at the time of the shooting in the area of 23rd and Southern avenues. It happened at about 6:45 p.m.
Officer Carlos Ledesma, 34, was the officer who lost his life as a result of the shooting.
Investigators have not released the details of what led up to the shooting, but it reportedly was an undercover drug "buy and bust" operation. The officers were inside apparently trying to buy drugs from the suspects when bullets started flying. It's not yet clear what sparked the shootout.
Sgt. Steve Martos of the Phoenix Police Department said it is not necessarily unusual for officers from other cities to be conducting such operations inside Phoenix city limits.
"I don't know the nature of the investigation, what led them over to South Phoenix," he said. "We live in a Valley of 3-plus million people. Our investigations may take us throughout the Valley and even beyond the state of Arizona. So, that would not be unusual for them to be in our area."
The Chandler Police Department held a press conference on Thursday afternoon. Chandler Police Chief Sherry Kiyler said they would not be releasing the names or photos of the officers injured in Wednesday night's shootout for security reasons.
Chief Kiyler said, "Words truly cannot express the grief that we feel today. The events of last night are a grim reminder of the challenges that are faced by our law enforcement officers."
Two suspects were shot and pronounced dead at the scene. Their identifies have not been released. Police are working to find next of kin for one of the suspects.
Sgt. Martos said at the news conference that Phoenix police has six suspects in custody. They range in ages between 25 and 40 years old.
A bank account has been set up for the family of the fallen officer. If you would like to make a donation, you may do so at any Wells Fargo location; the account number is #9918672768.
