A 41-year-old man has been fatally shot in an officer-involved shooting in the 50 block of Newcastle Lane in Sedona, south of the intersection of Newcastle and Juniper lanes between Brewer Road to the west and Oak Creek to the west.
At 1:26 p.m., a resident on the 50-block of Newcastle Lane called 911 to report an unknown man shouting in the vicinity while in possession of a machete and a stick. The caller also indicated the man was possibly cutting himself with the machete, according to Lauren Browne, city of Sedona communications and public relations manager.
The man wielding the machete was reportedly dressed in camouflage, according to police radio. The caller had taken shelter in a home and erected a barricade. Police were en route to the scene at the time of that call.
At 1:29 p.m., Sedona Police Department officers arrived on scene and contacted the subject, Browne stated. At 1:32 p.m., shots were fired at the subject and officers immediately called the Sedona Fire District for emergency medical care for the subject.
A helicopter had been dispatched was shortly recalled, according to police radio.
At 1:40 p.m., the SFD declared the subject deceased at the scene, Browne stated.
The man who was shot and killed has reportedly been identified, but the man’s name has not yet been officially confirmed by Sedona police. The Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting an investigation and will confirm the man’s name when his next of kin is notified..
The city of Sedona issued a statement around 3:30 p.m. today, Monday, Jan. 20: “Three Sedona Police Department officers were in an officer-involved shooting on January 20, 2020. No officers were injured. The armed subject, a 41-year-old male, is deceased. The [Arizona] Department of Public Safety is responding to the investigation. The name of the deceased will not be released until next of kin are notified.”
Per the Sedona Police Department’s protocol, the two Sedona police officers involved in the shooting will be placed on administrative leave. The names of the two officers have not officially been released.
“This was a significant, unfortunate event for all involved – for the subject, his family, the officers and the community,” Sedona Police Department Chief of Police Charles Husted stated. “An officer hopes to go their entire career without having to discharge their weapon. Our hearts go out to everyone affected.”
The Sedona Police Department encourages any witnesses with information regarding this incident to contact the Department of Public Safety at (602) 223-2212.
A full story will be published in the Wednesday, Jan. 22, edition of the Sedona Red Rock News.
