2 injured in 2 separate Mesa police shootings within 24 hours; no officers wounded
Mesa police officers were involved in two police shootings within 24 hours. The shootings, one on Sunday afternoon and one Monday morning, left two suspects injured.
The police shooting on Sunday occurred near Dobson and Baseline roads around 5 p.m. after officers were called to assist the Arizona Department of Public Safety to find the suspect of a homicide, according to Mesa police.
DPS was notified that Kevin McKinney, 36, suspected of homicide in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and wanted for a felony warrant in Colorado, was possibly in Mesa in the area where the shooting took place.
Albuquerque police gave a photo and description of McKinney and said he would "shoot it out" with police if he was confronted, according to Mesa police. They also shared a description of the suspect's vehicle.
Mesa police officers arrived to the area and one of them saw what he believed was McKinney's vehicle in a parking lot. Another officer saw the suspect inside a retail store, according to police.
When McKinney went out of the store and got into his vehicle, SWAT officers blocked the vehicle to prevent him from fleeing. McKinney refused commands, rammed police cars and drove into a business that was open with customers inside, police said in a statement.
Then officers shot at McKinney, got him into custody and provided lifesaving first aid, according to police. It is unclear how many officers shot at him.
McKinney was taken to the hospital with serious injuries and is expected to survive.
Separate shooting occurs early Monday
On Monday around 3:30 a.m., officers shot at a 21-year-old man near Rio Salado Parkway and Country Club Drive, according to Mesa police.
Police were called on Sunday around 11:30 p.m. after a woman said she noticed her front door was broken when she returned home. She also said she heard someone inside, according to Mesa police.
When officers arrived, the suspect ran out of the house, jumped a wall and tried to hide in a patio of a nearby apartment. Then he jumped another wall and hid inside a storage shed, Mesa police said in a statement.
The Mesa Air Unit notified officers that the man appeared to be holding a gun.
Officers approached the storage and several rounds were fired from the shed in their direction, according to Mesa police. The Chandler SWAT team was called to assist.
Mesa police said after "several hours" of trying to get the man to come out of the shed, a robot and drone were deployed and the suspect fired at both devices.
Officers used less lethal measures, which weren't specified by police, and when the man began to exit the shed, officers shot at him.
The man, who hasn't been identified, was taken into custody and officers provided life saving measures, according to police. He was taken to the hospital and was listed in critical condition as of Monday around 2:30 p.m.
It is unclear how many officers were involved in the shooting.
No officers or citizens were injured in the shootings, according to police.
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Reach breaking news reporter Angela Cordoba Perez at Angela.CordobaPerez@Gannett.com or on Twitter @AngelaCordobaP.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 2 injured in 2 separate Mesa police shootings within 24 hours
