PHOENIX — A man is dead and a police officer was injured after the man allegedly tried to speed off in a police cruiser in west Phoenix the morning of March 12.
Officers were called out near 75th Avenue and Buckeye Road around 7:30 a.m. for two men who refused to get off a bus, the Phoenix Police Department said.
After being confronted by police on board the bus, 39-year-old Adam Vespoli exited the bus and allegedly got into a marked police SUV while the officer was talking to the second man.
Police say Vespoli got into the driver's seat of the officer's SUV and tried to take off. At that point, the officer ran toward Vespoli and tried to stop him.
The officer then stepped on the running board of the police Tahoe, and with his service weapon drawn.
Vespoli began to drive with the officer still standing on the running board, and that's when police say the officer-involved shooting occurred.
As Vespoli drove off, police say the officer shot him after being clipped by the moving SUV which then crashed into a tree.
Vespoli was sent to a hospital and later died. The officer will be OK, according to Phoenix police.
The officer involved in the shooting has been with the department for three years and is assigned to the Maryvale Estrella Mountain Precinct.
The incident is still being investigated, including whether the officer's actions were justified. Once the criminal investigation is complete it will then be reviewed by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
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