Man hospitalized in critical condition after being shot by Tucson police

An investigation was underway after a Tucson police officer shot a man, leaving him in critical condition.

Elijah Dixon, 21, was shot and injured by police after a mental health call escalated, police said in a Thursday statement.

On Jan. 15 about 11 p.m., Tucson police got a call from a man, later identified as Dixon, talking about ending his own life. The call was then transferred to mental health professionals to provide him with resources.

According to police, while on the phone with mental health professionals, Dixon’s behavior escalated and the professionals were informed that he had a firearm. This information was given to the Tucson Police Department as part of a coordinated response.

Officers responded to an apartment complex near Prudence Road and 22nd Street, where they found Dixon carrying a firearm in the parking lot, police said. Dixon was ordered by officers to drop the weapon, but he did not comply and instead ran away and shot a round in an unknown direction, police said.

Dixon continued through the complex toward South Prudence Road, where additional officers were positioned. As Dixon was seen coming out from the complex, police say he was wearing a tactical vest and holding two handguns.

One officer opened fire and struck Dixon. He was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and remained in critical condition as of Thursday.

The officer who shot Dixon was identified by the department as K-9 Officer Matthew Merz, a 23-year veteran of the Tucson Police Department.

The Pima County Regional Critical Incident Team — a critical incidents investigation team composed of multiple Pima County agencies — was handling the criminal investigation of the shooting.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man in critical condition after shot by Tucson police