GLENDALE — A newly released 911 call and body camera footage provide context surrounding a police shooting, after a woman approached a store worker in distress and asked for help, according to Glendale police.
On May 20, Daren Howard, 33, and a woman who has not been publicly identified walked into a store near 63rd Avenue and Bell Road to purchase a firearm, according to police spokesperson Sgt. Justin Ramsay in a critical incident briefing video.
As the pair headed to the counter to pay, the woman told an employee she needed help immediately, Ramsay said.
"I think she's being held by some guy, and she just tapped me and said to call 911," the unnamed employee said, according to Ramsay.
Sensing the danger, employees at the store stalled the sale of the firearm until officers arrived at the scene, Ramsay said.
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"I don't know what he's doing to her, but I just felt worried for her," an employee of the store said, explaining that the man identified as Howard was getting aggressive.
Two officers walked toward Howard, attempting to speak with him, footage shows.
A few seconds later, Howard immediately grabbed the woman to stop her from getting away, according to the video.
"Let her go now, you're about to get Tazed!" an officer can be heard telling Howard.
Howard then yanked the woman back and is seen brandishing a knife, attempting to hold her hostage, according to the footage. Officers yelled at Howard to drop the knife and deployed a Taser, according to the briefing video.
Howard is seen with his arm wrapped around the woman's neck as they both collapse to the floor after the Taser was used, according to the footage. A second officer then fires multiple shots, striking Howard, the video shows.
Body camera footage shows a shooting in Glendale on May 20, after officers responded to a local business about a woman who needed help.
Officers quickly secured the knife and arrested Howard, allowing the woman to get to safety, according to the footage.
Additional officers gave Howard medical aid before taking him away.
Howard survived his injuries after the incident and faces multiple charges, Ramsay said. Howard was last being held in a Maricopa County jail on a $350,000 cash bond, he said.
Both an internal review and a criminal review were being conducted, police spokesperson Jose Santiago said. The results of those reviews will be sent to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, which will then send a report back to police, Santiago said.
A board will then be convened to discuss whether the use of force in the incident was within policy, according to Santiago. The process may take several months to a year to complete, he said.Â
