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Phoenix Police Release Body Camera Video of Deadly Officer-Involved Shooting

The Phoenix Police Department has recently made public the body camera footage of a fatal officer-involved shooting that took place on December 16, 2023. The incident occurred near the intersection of 50th Street and McDowell Road in Phoenix, Arizona.

The released video starts with an officer stepping out of his vehicle and immediately shouting, “He’s armed with a knife. Get your f****** hands up! Hands up!” This officer’s body camera is one of two recordings showing the police in pursuit of the suspect, later identified as 37-year-old Alton Tungovia. The chase unfolded after multiple reports of the suspect allegedly stabbing a man near 44th Street. The victim was promptly transported to a nearby hospital with serious, yet non-life-threatening injuries.

Throughout the chase, the officers repeatedly instructed Tungovia to raise his hands, but he disregarded their commands. In an attempt to subdue him, an officer deployed pepper balls, but Tungovia persisted in his forward movement. Eventually, an officer resorted to using live ammunition, striking Tungovia. Despite being rushed to a hospital, Tungovia did not survive. Authorities later discovered that the suspect was holding a black metal object in his hands.

Stan Kephart, a former Arizona police chief, acknowledged the challenging nature of police work, stating, “All of us are gifted with 20/20 hindsight. This is the very difficult thing about being a police officer. After the fact, we all get to see that ‘Oh, this isn’t something that merited a lethal response’ — That’s after the fact.” However, Kephart refrained from expressing an opinion on the justification of the shooting due to ongoing criminal and internal investigations. Instead, he shed light on the training officers receive, particularly emphasizing the concept of ‘The Threshold of Peril.’ This refers to the point at which an officer believes their life is in danger and justifies the use of lethal force. Kephart acknowledged that without insight into the officer’s mindset and perceived threat, it is impossible to fully assess the situation.

During the video, multiple officers can be heard stating that the suspect was armed with a knife. Kephart affirmed the potential danger of a knife, both up close and if thrown. De-escalation techniques are a key component of police training, and the officer who discharged his weapon has been a member of the Phoenix Police Department for six years. Kephart expressed confidence that the officer had received adequate training to handle intense situations.

Kephart clarified, “The bottom line is, you are taught and trained that you can use lower levels of force beginning with your voice articulation and trying to use conflict resolution and not escalating to hands-on or forcing the individual to use handcuffs. The training is given so that you don’t have to exhaust each level of lower force. You can go from voice command to lethal force and use the firearm. And so that would not be wrong, in terms of the training.”

Highlighting the officer’s need to perceive danger, Kephart mentioned the possibility of investigating ‘suicide by cop,’ a growing concern. In the video, Tungovia can be heard provoking the officers by shouting phrases such as “Shoot me”, “Kill me” and “Put a real round in my ass”. Kephart acknowledged that such circumstances could be taken into account during the investigation, which will ultimately determine whether the officer will face criminal charges.

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