Phoenix police officer 'ambushed,' shot by group trying to rob vehicle, officials say

Corrections & Clarifications: A previous version of this article had an incorrect location of the incident in the headline.

A Phoenix police officer was injured in a shooting near 33rd and Southern avenues late Friday night after responding to an attempted robbery, according to officials.

At about 11:30 p.m., multiple armed suspects tried to rob a vehicle that was parked in the area, according to Phoenix police spokesperson Sgt. Rob Scherer. During the attempted robbery, an off-duty Phoenix police officer who was working in uniform at a nearby business was contacted about the situation and approached the suspects, Scherer wrote in a Saturday morning news release.

Police said at least one of the people involved had a gun and began to fire in the direction of the officer. During the "violent, ambush style attack," the officer did not fire his weapon and received multiple gunshot wounds, Phoenix police spokesperson Sgt. Mayra Reeson wrote in a Saturday evening news release.

“We had an officer who was violently attacked while truly doing his job — and not just attacked, but ambushed,” interim Phoenix police Chief Michael Sullivan said at a news conference on Saturday morning. “He was ambushed as he went to try to help folks that were being preyed upon and robbed and put himself in harm’s way.”

Police said the officer was taken to a hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening. The officer was recovering in the hospital and was in stable condition as of Saturday evening, according to Reeson.

Police said the suspects left the area before other officers responded to the scene. Sullivan encouraged the suspects, whom he considered “armed and dangerous,” to turn themselves in.

“If you’re willing to perpetrate violence on a police officer in the process of committing a violent felony, you will do that to any member of the public,” Sullivan said.

The investigation was still ongoing, and the area where the shooting took place was shut down as police investigated the scene. Detectives were working to collect surveillance footage of the incident from businesses in the area and talk to witnesses, according to Reeson.

Sullivan urged anyone with information about the incident, including video footage, to contact the Phoenix Police Department at 602-262-6151 or call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS or 480-TESTIGO for Spanish speakers to provide an anonymous tip.

Madeline Nguyen is a breaking news reporter for The Republic. Reach her at Madeline.Nguyen@gannett.com or 480-619-0285. Follow her on X @madelineynguyen.