Body-cam shows alleged U-Haul thief waving gun shot, killed by Phoenix police

New body-cam video shows Phoenix police shooting and killing an armed man suspected of stealing a U-Haul truck last month. On Feb. 22, police received a 911 call around 4:45 p.m. from someone reporting a suspicious man hanging around a U-Haul truck near 29th Avenue and Madison Street, just south of Van Buren Street.

Officers learned that Department of Public Safety troopers were searching for the suspect, 47-year-old Jason Resendez, after he didn’t pull over. Police arrived at the scene and spotted Resendez walking around the neighborhood with another person.

Video shows two officers pulling up to Resendez as he’s walking. One officer immediately tries to grab him, but he pulls a gun out of his right pocket. The officer quickly pulls out his gun as Resendez runs away from police. “Put the gun down! Drop the gun! Drop it!” one officer yells at Resendez. “Back the [expletive] up,” Resendez tells officers, still holding the gun. One officer then shoots him twice, and Resendez falls to the ground. “Watch your back! Watch your back!” a second officer yells. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died. No officers were hurt.

The officer involved in the shooting is with the South Mountain Precinct and has been with the department for over four years. Resendez’s family previously spoke to Arizona’s Family, saying they witnessed his death right in their front yard. Family members said officers should have used less lethal means first. “There’s ways to conduct things, and this is what they signed up for and what their training is for, and they are not using their training. They are not doing it right,” said Resendez’s sister-in-law.