The Lake Havasu City Police Department is conducting an independent investigation of a deadly officer involved shooting (OIS) in north Kingman. It’s common for an outside agency to review fatal OIS incidents.

The fatal shooting involving a Mohave County Sheriff’s deputy occurred about 9:00 p.m. Saturday, April 17. Lake Havasu City police detective Chris Angus said the ordeal unfolded when deputies attempted a traffic stop of a vehicle whose driver refused to pull over.

Deputies terminated a low-speed pursuit when the driver began operating the vehicle in an erratic manner into oncoming traffic on Stockton Hill Road. Angus said the suspect vehicle ended up traveling back toward the deputies, ramming one of their patrol vehicles.

A search led to discovery of the suspect vehicle pulling into a residential driveway in the 1100 block of McVicar Ave. “A deputy attempted to make contact with the driver, at which time the confrontation ensued and the deputy fired several shots from his duty weapon striking the driver,” Angus said.

The suspect whose name has not been released died following transport to Kingman Regional Medical Center. The officer who shot the suspect has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the incident review, standard procedure in OIS incidents.

Dave Hawkins