Suspect dead after officer-involved shooting in north Phoenix

PHOENIX - A suspect is dead following an officer-involved shooting on Wednesday at a fast food restaurant in north Phoenix.

Phoenix Police say the shooting happened at around 11 a.m. near 28th Avenue and Thunderbird Road. Officers responded to the scene after a man armed with a rifle walked into the restaurant.

"This family started running," A person who witnessed the incident said. "They said ‘There’s a shooter! There’s a shooter!’"

Police say those inside were able to leave, allowing officers to surround the restaurant and demand the suspect surrender. The suspect, however, refused, opening fire on officers who later returned gunfire.

An officer-involved shooting on Dec. 18 near I-17 and Thunderbird road left a suspect dead, Phoenix Police said.

The suspect died at the scene. He was identified as 62-year-old Marion Joyner. No officers were hurt.

"There were several bullets that were fired in all different directions from the suspect, so we’re going to have investigators out here for an extended period of time, blocking off the road as well as the parking lots in the vicinity," said Sgt. Brian Bowers with Phoenix Police.

Thunderbird was shut down from 31st Avenue to Interstate 17 for some time as a result of the investigation.

"Very nerve-wracking," said one person in the area. "Very intense."