Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to 55 block of Cathedral Rock Drive, in the Village of Oak Creek on Saturday, Nov. 7, at approximately 6:50 p.m., in reference to a domestic disturbance in which the female subject involved had allegedly discharged a firearm.
Upon arrival, the woman, later identified as 56-year-old Wendy Jones, reportedly confronted the deputies outside of her residence armed with a handgun, according to YCSO spokesman Christopher Wilson.
Wilson stated that after multiple attempts at de-escalation and negotiations as well as numerous verbal commands to drop the weapon, Jones reportedly brandished the firearm. Deputy Esdras Agundez was on the scene for about 15 minutes on a loudspeaker attempting to get Jones to leave the residence with her arms up and without a weapon. Wilson stated that in response to the threat to himself and the other first responders, YCSO Patrol Sgt. John Johnson fired a single shot, striking Jones.
Jones was pronounced deceased at the scene.
None of the deputies involved were injured during the encounter. At the request of Yavapai County Sheriff Scott Mascher, the incident is currently under investigation by the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
Wilson wrote that the sergeant is a 16-year veteran of the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office but the agency has not yet released his name.
Editor’s Note: The story has since been updated with more information about Jones and other officer-involved shootings in the Verde Valley in 2020. You can read the follow-up story here:
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