KINGMAN – A multiple-hour standoff and Officer Involved Shooting (OIS) incident resulted in a civilian death in Kingman. Police Chief Rusty Cooper said the ordeal began unfolding about 2:00 a.m. Wednesday when dispatch was advised gunfire was coming from a home in the 2000 block of Fairgrounds Boulevard.
Cooper said Kingman police officers surrounded the home and used a Public Address system to communicate with the male adult who had fired from inside the home. He said the subject was uncooperative and verbally aggressive with officers.
Cooper said more than one officer encountered gunfire over a period of hours. He said it was about 5:30 a.m. when an officer returned fire and it became quiet and calm inside the home.
Lake Havasu City police department SWAT team members were summoned to the scene to enter the home and conduct a warrant-based search. The male adult was found dead inside the home.
Cooper said the Mohave County Sheriff’s office will conduct the independent investigation of the shooting. One officer is on paid leave and both measures are standard procedure in OIS incidents.
Cooper said he had recently urged staff to be extra cautious due to a recent upswing in OIS events in northwest Arizona.
Dave Hawkins