A trooper-involved shooting occurred early Friday morning near Loop 202 and Scottsdale Road, officials with Arizona Department of Public Safety say.
The incident was called out after midnight near Scottsdale Road and Playa del Norte, which is just south of Loop 202 in Tempe. DPS trooper Hugh Grant was reportedly working a holiday DUI task force with a citizen observer in the area at the time.
According to DPS during an afternoon press conference, officials said the incident started when trooper Grant spotted a man acting irrationally. The man reportedly refused trooper Grant's commands to get out of the roadway. The suspect reportedly kicked trooper Grant's vehicle, which led to the trooper stopping his vehicle and confronting the suspect.
The trooper allegedly deployed his taser twice, but it failed to stop the suspect. The suspect then charged the trooper and the two began fighting in the street.
DPS officials said the trooper was punched several times in the head, headbutted, and the suspect managed to use the trooper's own taser against him.
As the trooper was beginning to lose consciousness, a DPS spokesperson said the trooper pulled out his handgun and shot the suspect, who died from his injuries.
Officials identified the suspect as 25-year-old Mohamed Ahmed E A Al-Hashemi, a Qatar national in the United States on an F1 student visa.
DPS said Hasemi had several recent incidents with Tempe police, including trespassing at the Islamic Community Center. Tempe police say Al-Hashemi was asked to leave the center and warned not to return by officers after causing a disturbance at 4:30 a.m. on December 18. Al-Hashemi later returned at 2 p.m, and was eventually taken into custody for trespassing and booked into jail.
Trooper Grant is still in quite a bit of pain and is recovering at home, according to DPS.
HUGE police presence at Rural & Playa Del Norte following officer involved shooting. @Arizona_DPS, @TempePolice on scene. We’ll be here sharing updates on @abc15 mornings. pic.twitter.com/VoZ4srYkM1
— John Genovese (@JEGenovese) December 20, 2019
ABC15 crews on scene say a DPS vehicle was seen being towed away with what appeared to be multiple bullet holes through the passenger side.
Scottsdale Road restrictions were in place early Friday morning for the investigation, reopening around 6:30 a.m.
