An off-duty Tucson police officer shot and wounded a man armed with two knives Wednesday afternoon outside a Catalina Foothills apartment complex, authorities say.
The incident began shortly before 2:45 p.m. at a complex in the 4600 block of East Skyline Drive when the off-duty officer went outside to check on calls for help.
The unidentified officer instructed an acquaintance to call 911 while he went outside to gauge the scene.
Just prior to this, 911 operators received a call from a man at the same complex who reported a burglary in progress, Tucson police say.
Dispatchers noted that the caller made additional statements, warranting a welfare check at the apartments. The man appeared to be experiencing a mental health crisis and was in possession of a knife, dispatchers said.
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Deputies with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department responded to the welfare check as the off-duty officer was checking outiside.
The officer, who was not in uniform, was in a common area of the complex when he was confronted by a man carrying two knives, police say.
The man was shot when police say he advanced toward the off-duty officer.
A deputy who arrived at the scene immediately began rendering medical aid to the wounded man, who was then taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
The Pima Regional Critical Incident Team has been activated. The team, compromised of various local law enforcement agencies, investigates shootings here that involve officers.
The University of Arizona Police Department is the lead investigating agency of the incident.