PHOENIX — A surge in Phoenix police shootings is renewing questions about officers' use of deadly force.
Phoenix has seen five police shootings in the last four days.
With nine shootings in the first 11 weeks of this year, Phoenix PD is on a pace that would top the record of 44 shootings in 2018.
"It's not just a Phoenix thing. It's an Arizona thing," said Will Humble, Arizona's former public health director.
Humble's Arizona Public Health Association sponsored a new study on firearm violence in Arizona. The study shows Phoenix had the highest rate of police shootings among the 10 largest U.S. cities. Rates were also high in Tucson and Mesa.
The study lays part of the blame on Arizona's lax gun laws.
"At least part of it needs to be associated with the policies and procedures that the (Phoenix) police department has and the accountability that it has," Humble said.
"But also, to be fair, you have to look at the fact that Arizona has among the most lenient firearm laws in the entire country. So you have a police department that's also working in an environment awash in guns."
Humble said the goal of the study was to document the impact of firearm violence in Arizona and present evidence-based measures that would reduce injuries and deaths.
The spate of police shootings comes as the U.S. Department of Justice investigates Phoenix officers' excessive use of force. The DOJ probe is now 20 months old, with no indication of when or how it might end.
The police department's new chief, Michael Sullivan, was hired last year because of his experience with DOJ investigations.
"Fighting crime can go hand in hand with reform," Sullivan said at his swearing-in last October.
12News has learned that several of the suspects in the recent spate of shootings were legally prohibited from possessing weapons.
Another through line in this year's shootings: Most of the suspects were either brandishing a weapon or reaching for one, according to police reports.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said at her weekly news conference Wednesday that she changed her office's policy last year to require prison time for prohibited possessors convicted of engaging in a shootout with police.
"One of the things anecdotally we're seeing is that there is a very high correlation between felons who are illegally in possession of firearms, and those that later get involved in shootouts with the police," Mitchell said.
A 2019 study of the record-breaking number of police shootings in 2018 offered no firm conclusions about root causes.
Chief Michael Sullivan wasn't available for comment on this story.
Darrell Kriplean, president of the police union, PLEA, issued this statement:
"The common theme in most of these situations is our officers were responding to a call and subsequently attacked. Our officers never want to use deadly force but in these scenarios, it is challenging to see any other option when the suspects are actively attempting to harm or kill the responding officer... The community must demand that the violence being used against our officers ends immediately."
Latest Arizona news
Catch up on the latest news and stories on our 12News YouTube playlist here.