Mesa police have identified the suspect killed during a shooting incident near Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport earlier this week as 34-year-old Cameron Oberlin.
The department said preliminary findings indicate Oberlin died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound following an armed confrontation with police early Wednesday morning.
The incident began just after 2 a.m., when a security guard called police to report a trespasser on private property near Sossaman and Ray roads. Responding officers found Oberlin in a parking lot, where he reportedly became noncompliant and confrontational.
After a brief pursuit, officers used a Grappler device — a net deployed from the front of a patrol car — to stop Oberlin’s vehicle. Police then attempted to use less-lethal weapons, but Oberlin allegedly fired several rounds from inside his car, striking an officer in the right side.
The injured officer was taken to the hospital in stable condition and has since been released and is recovering well, police said.
Following a brief standoff, officers heard a gunshot from inside Oberlin’s vehicle and found him unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Gilbert Police Department is leading the investigation as part of the East Valley Critical Incident Response Team.
