PHOENIX — The Phoenix Police Department has terminated an officer who was involved in a 2022 shooting that resulted in the death of a 34-year-old man.
Ali Osman died after he was shot by police near 19th Avenue and Tuckey Lane on Sept. 24, 2022. At the time, police said Osman was throwing rocks at an officer's patrol car before he was shot.
"The officer gave commands to stop, one rock was thrown and as the individual was preparing to throw the second rock that is when the officer-involved shooting occurred," a spokesperson for the agency said at the time.
The city paid $5 million to settle a civil lawsuit filed by Osman's family. Prosecutors declined to file criminal charges against the officer.
On Wednesday, the police department said Officer Jesse Johnson had been fired because his actions during the incident were "out of policy."
The agency said Johnson's termination was "not made lightly" but done after careful consideration.
Johnson will have the right to appeal the termination to the Civil Service Board.
UP TO SPEED
What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
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