Tempe police shot and killed a man Thursday afternoon after he came out of an apartment and pointed a handgun at officers who were responding to a 911 call, authorities said.

The call came in just before 12:30 p.m. Sept. 12 from a man who said another man had threaten him with a gun in the 1100 block of West Baseline Road, police said.

Officers spoke with the victim and went to the suspect’s apartment, according to a release.

The suspect, who was in his 40’s, spoke to officers through a window, refusing to open the door. The officers stepped back from the apartment to a safe location, police said, and continued speaking with the suspect. He came out of the apartment before going back inside.

“A short time later, the suspect came out again. This time he was armed with a handgun, which he pointed at police. Two officers fired their duty weapons, and the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene,” the release stated. 

The name of the suspect was not released pending notification of next of kin.

The Mesa Police Department is conducting an investigation into the officer-involved shooting.

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.