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Mesa police shoot, kill man after he woke up in car and backed into cruiser

An attendant at 7-Eleven called police because the man was sleeping inside his vehicle in the convenience store's parking lot, officers on scene said.

MESA, Ariz. — Mesa police officers shot and killed a man in a 7-Eleven parking lot early Wednesday morning, the city's police department said.

An attendant at the convenience store called the police because 25-year-old Watts Williams was sleeping in a vehicle in the store's parking lot and the attendant didn't know if the man was okay, officers on the scene said. Responding officers arrived to find the vehicle listed as stolen our of Chandler.

Officers allegedly tried to wake Williams up for 15 minutes with sirens and announcements on the PA before putting stop sticks on the vehicle and parked two cruisers behind it to prevent the man from leaving.

He woke up and revved the engine before backing into one of the cruisers at a high speed, police said. That's when officers shot and killed him.

The area around the convenience store, near the intersection of 8th Avenue and Dobson Road, was closed for several hours during the investigation.

This is an ongoing investigation. Tune in to 12News for the latest information.

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