Police in Arizona confirmed that a suspect is dead and another person has been hospitalized after a shooting broke out outside an Amazon delivery station in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler early Wednesday morning. The victim was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Immediately afterward, a second armed contract worker fatally shot the suspect in the parking lot, police said. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. There was no immedate report on the motive for the shooting.
Reports of a shooting at the Amazon Fulfillment Center came in just after 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. Multiple law enforcement resources responded, and Chandler police officers later confirmed that three people were involved in the shooting. During an afternoon news conference. Chandler Police Sgt. Jason McClimans said that the suspect, who wasn’t an Amazon employee or contrator, entered the grounds of the delivery hub and shot the unarmed contract worker multiple times at about 9:30 a.m. He said the wounded worker was hospitalized in critical condition, but is expected to survive, and that the other contracted Amazon employee who fatally shot the suspect wasn’t injured, adding he possibly stopped an active shooter situation. The names of the suspect and two contracted employees weren’t immediately released.
The Chandler facility operates as a pickup zone for contracted Amazon Flex drivers, who pick up packages to deliver the same or next day to customers. Chandler is a suburban community located about 20 miles southeast of downtown Phoenix. Amazon spokesperson Richard Rocha said that the two contractors work to support Amazon’s delivery network, while the suspect was not employed by Amazon nor any of its contractors. Said Rocha: “We are deeply saddened by this senseless act of violence in our parking lot. We’re working closely with law enforcement as they investigate and are focused on supporting our team during this difficult time.”
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