Police: Officer shoots suspect who fired toward police in Mesa

MESA, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — An armed suspect is in the hospital after he was shot by an officer near a busy Mesa intersection early Wednesday.

Det. Brandi George says around 7:15 a.m., officers were called out to multiple reports of shots fired at an apartment complex near University Drive and North Standage. Witnesses told officers that the suspect, 35-year-old Kelvin Harper Jr., took off and started running onto University while holding something in his hand. Police were ultimately able to approach him, but Harper allegedly fired toward authorities, prompting one officer to fire back.

Officers say the suspect is down but University Drive remains closed near Alma School

While it’s unclear how many shots were fired, Harper did sustain at least one gunshot wound. As of Thursday, Harper is in the hospital in stable but critical condition, according to police.

Traffic along University was shut down from Alma School to Longmore in both directions as detectives pieced together the investigation, noting that the weather makes it a little more difficult. “Rain is not our friend when it comes to preserving evidence,” George explained. No officers were hurt.

This is the 17th officer-involved shooting in Maricopa County and the 21st in the state in 2023.

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