Deadly shooting suspect fires gun at Tempe officers, tries to carjack driver

TEMPE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — A man is in custody after police said he killed a driver, shot at officers and tried to carjack two people in Tempe on Friday evening. It all started when an officer in a Chevy Tahoe was heading south on Kyrene Road when he saw a red and blue car next to each other just north of Guadalupe Road around 5:30 p.m. He thought it was some sort of collision but police later learned the red car was riddled with bullets and the driver was dead.

When the officer got closer in his SUV, he sees a man with a gun. That armed man turns and fires several shots at the officer. The officer got out of his SUV and got behind it and started yelling commands at the shooter. The suspect then runs west through a parking lot and the officer runs after him while radioing for more help from police. While the armed man continues to run, he tries to carjack somebody. That was unsuccessful. While he’s running he turns and fired more shots at officers who had just arrived, investigators said. The original officer positions his Tahoe so the suspect is then surrounded. The man then drops his gun and is taken into custody. No officers were hurt.

Police initially believe the suspect tried to carjack the victim in the red car and that’s what led to the shooting. Investigators said the pair didn’t know each other. Their identities haven’t been released.

This is the 12th officer-involved shooting in the Valley in 2022 and the 19th in Arizona, according to Arizona’s Family numbers.

Law enforcement has released the mugshot for the suspect named Anthony King.

This story has been updated to add the mugshot of the suspect on March 14, 2022.

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