Mesa police fatally shoot woman suspected of threatening boyfriend with knife

Perry Vandell, Michelle Cruz and Madeline Nguyen, Arizona Republic
Updated ·1 min read

A Mesa police officer fatally shot a woman on Thursday afternoon after she allegedly threatened her boyfriend with a knife, according to officials.

Rachel Rodriguez, 24, was shot and killed at her home near Center Street and 14th Place after officers received a call from her and her boyfriend's roommate that she was using a knife to threaten him and was refusing to let him leave the house, Mesa Police Department spokesperson Richard Encinas said Friday.

When officers arrived at the scene around 10:30 a.m., they met with the roommate and confirmed her reports. Encinas said police then set up a perimeter outside the home and attempted to negotiate with Rodriguez to exit the home.

After several minutes of no response, Encinas said officers heard a man's voice shouting for help, prompting them to immediately enter the home, as the front door was open.

Encinas said one officer fired at least once at Rodriguez, who was struck and injured. Officers then removed the boyfriend from the home before bringing Rodriguez outside, where they performed life-saving measures on her, Encinas said.

Fire personnel later pronounced Rodriguez dead outside of the home.

Encinas said that the couple and their roommate had been staying at the house for only a few weeks but he didn't have information on what led up to the confrontation. Encinas also did not know what kind of knife Rodriguez was armed with or whether she was holding it when the officer shot her.

Encinas said the case was still active, and police would have more information soon.

Reach breaking news and public safety reporter Perry Vandell at perry.vandell@gannett.com or 602-444-2474. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @PerryVandell.

Madeline Nguyen is a breaking news reporter for The Republic. Reach her at Madeline.Nguyen@gannett.com or 480-619-0285. Follow her on X @madelineynguyen.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mesa police fatally shoot woman who threatened boyfriend with knife