PHOENIX (AP) - The family of a man shot to death outside a Phoenix police precinct says he had expressed thoughts about killing himself.
Phoenix police identified 41-year-old Lonnie Niesen on Sunday as the man fatally shot by an officer after hurling rocks and bricks.
Police spokesman Jonathan Howard says the incident began shortly before noon Saturday when a sergeant felt an object strike his police car.
The sergeant says Niesen was screaming in the parking lot.
Police say Niesen then threw objects at the building.
They say he threw a rock or brick, hitting an officer's hand.
That officer shot Niesen, who died at a hospital.
Relatives told police that Niesen had stolen a gun and was impaired earlier in the day and making suicidal statements.
The shooting, however, remains under investigation.
Posted at 12:49 PM, Dec 27, 2015
and last updated 2015-12-27 14:49:41-05
Associated Press 2015
