Peoria police need public's help to ID man shot by Avondale police

Peoria police are asking for the public's help in identifying a man who was shot dead by the Avondale Police Department in February near a Family Dollar store.

According to Avondale Police, at around 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 21, officers responded to the Family Dollar store near Dysart Road and Riley Drive for reports of shoplifting. A description of the man was given to police, who was believed to have shoplifted from another store earlier that same day.

The man is described as an African American male, 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighing around 135 pounds. He had brown eyes and black hair styled in twists, 5 inches long. He had spaces between his upper front teeth and a piercing in his left ear. He was found wearing three pairs of pants (purple, black and gray), two homemade necklaces, two beaded bracelets, two pairs of socks and Crocs.

Police said that a man matching the description was seen by an officer at the Agua Fria River bottom near 10th Street and Riley Drive.

"As the officer approached the male, the male was observed to have a possible sharp tool on his waistband, which later turned out to be one of three knives in the male's possession," police said in the statement.

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Body camera footage from the responding officer, who has six years of service with the department, shows him approach the suspect, telling him to raise his hands and "don't do anything stupid."

The suspect is seen raising his hands in the video as the officer tells him he's being detained, trying to place one cuff on the suspect's arm behind his back.

"Put your other arm behind your back, or you will go to the ground," the officer said.

The video shows the suspect briefly placing his other arm behind his back as the first cuff goes on. When it does, the two begin physically fighting, briefly obscuring the camera.

Police said that the suspect began resisting arrest, leading to the struggle. According to the statement, the officer reported that the man began choking him as he was lying on the ground on his back.

Additionally, the officer said that during the fight, the man tried to reach for the officer's gun, which is hard to tell from the body camera footage.

As the struggle continued, the officer was able to regain his footing, pulled out his firearm and shot the man, ultimately killing him.

"This incident, like all shootings involving Avondale Police officers, was investigated by an outside agency. Peoria Police conducted the criminal investigation and submitted their findings to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for review, which is pending. This incident is also the subject of an internal administrative review. Conclusions about whether the actions of the officer were consistent with department policy and the law will not be made until all reviews are complete," Avondale police said in the statement.

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Avondale police said that the officer involved is currently on administrative leave and the identity of the man killed is still unknown.

Peoria police have been attempting to identify the man through a number of methods and have been unsuccessful. They are now seeking the public's assistance to identify the man.

Police have released a facial sketch created by a National Center for Missing & Exploited Children forensic artist that depicts what the man may have looked like as well as items he was wearing. At this time, his age is unknown.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact 1-800-CALLFBI or 1-800-225-5324.

No other information had been released.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Peoria police need public's help to ID man shot by Avondale police