Man dead after police shooting in east Mesa

MESA, AZ (AZFamily) — Police have identified the man killed after a police shooting near an east Mesa neighborhood early Sunday morning.

Police say the shooting happened near 104th Street and Bramble Avenue, just north of Broadway Road, around 2 a.m.

Authorities say an officer was trying to stop 37-year-old Edward Johnson, who was riding a bicycle, for a traffic violation near Cheshire and Broadway Road, about a quarter-mile from the scene.

Investigators say Johnson refused to comply with commands, ran off into a canal, and was later spotted in an empty wash.

At that point, Johnson allegedly pulled out a weapon and pointed at an officer when that officer fired back. Police say a replica gun was found on the ground next to Johnson.

Mesa police and fire arrived to administer first aid to Johnson. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he later died.

Police confirmed that no officers were injured and no one else was wanted in connection to the incident.

Investigators learned that Johnson had an outstanding warrant for probation violation on a drug possession charge in Pinal County.

The Chandler Police Department will lead this investigation as part of the East Valley Critical Response Team. It is standard protocol for officer-involved shootings to be reviewed by an outside agency.

Julie Hensley lives right across from the scene. She said she didn’t hear any gunshots, but her girlfriend did.

“My girlfriend heard three gunshots in a row. She came into the house and woke me up. I was scared because it sounded real close,” said Hensley. ”It’s kind of scary because bullets can ricochet off and hit you.”

Hensley said police asked if the security cameras outside her house caught anything. Arizona’s Family saw her recordings. The videos only captured sirens and flashing lights in the distance.

She said her cameras are motion-activated, not sound-activated.

This is the 42nd officer-involved shooting in the Valley and the 69th in the state in 2024.

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