12 News, KSDK's sister station in Phoenix, obtained cellphone video of an officer-involved shooting with a man who investigators say stabbed a woman and a police officer, before the officer shot him.
The incident happened around 7:30 a.m. on March 11, near 16th St. and Van Buren.
Witnesses called 911, saying the man was fighting with his girlfriend on corner of the street. Police say the man is Pedro Morales.
The witness video shows Morales with a large knife, wrestling with a woman. At the same time, Officer Phil Akins – from about 10 feet away – draws his gun and yells at Morales to drop the knife. However, Morales does not.
Next, the video shows Morales dragging the woman up off the ground and pulling her down the street. He has one hand on her, the other still waving the large knife.
Seconds later, in another video clip, the witnesses are overheard saying, "No, he's stabbing her. (Gunshot) Oh my God. Oh no." The video does not show what happened at that exact moment, as other cars block camera's view.
About 10 seconds later, as the witness fumbles with the camera, another gunshot is heard, along with what sounds like Morales moaning.
Once the witness video is in focus again, it shows Morales struggling to stand up from behind a bush and Akins with his gun drawn, about five feet away. Morales staggers toward Akins and swings his right arm toward the officer. Akins continually backpedals and Morales doubles over.
Phoenix police say Morales stabbed both the woman and Officer Akins, and Akins shot fired two shots, hitting Morales once. All three went to the hospital and survived.
Akins did not know it at the time, but police say Morales was involved in a homicide the night before he was shot.
Akins did not want to talk about the incident, but Phoenix police Sgt. Trent Crump sent this statement:
"We are very proud of Officer Akins for the tremendous job he did in ending this violent encounter. The restraint that he showed in this situation and his decision not endangering innocent bystanders is remarkable. We are also thankful that he has recovered and is back out working the street."
