2 Brothers Killed In Phoenix Police Shooting

PHOENIX — Phoenix police say two of their officers fired their guns, killing two men as they responded to a domestic dispute at their family home Tuesday night.

The Phoenix Police Department said officers were called to a house on Amelia Avenue, near 22nd Street and Camelback Road, just before 9 p.m. A 911 caller told dispatchers that she had barricaded herself in the bathroom because her adult son was "acting strangely," according to Phoenix police spokeswoman Sgt. Maggie Cox.

When officers arrived at the home, the mother left the house and told police her two sons, ages 43 and 44, were arguing and one was carrying a rifle.

"As officers began to secure the perimeter of the residence, they saw two adult males inside with firearms," Cox said in a statement. "Officers who were positioned in the back of the residence observed both males exit into the backyard. Officers gave the males verbal commands and noticed that one male was still armed with a rifle."

The son with the rifle ignored officers' commands to drop his weapon and the argument continued, according to police. He then pointed his rifle at his brother and at officers. Two officers fired their guns, striking both brothers. One died on the scene and the other died of his injuries at a nearby hospital.

The two officers involved have been described as a 27-year-old with four years on the force and a 27-year-old with three-and-a-half years of service. They were not injured in the shooting.

The Phoenix police said a rifle and a BB gun "resembling a firearm" were recovered from the house. An investigation is ongoing.