The Prescott Regional Communications Center received several 911 calls Thursday morning of a man in his backyard in the 1500 block of Belle Meade Court Prescott, Arizona firing a rifle. Callers reported multiple gunshots could be heard and it was believed that the man may be the resident of the house.
Prescott Police officers responded to the area and quickly determined the location of the shooting and evacuated the surrounding houses. Contact was made with a woman at the home who reported the man firing the shots was her husband and that he was armed with at least one shotgun. Officers were able to contact the 83-year-old suspect and safely took him into custody without incident. The shotgun was recovered and secured as evidence.
The investigation revealed that the man was suffering from a mental health incident and was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. The wife of the suspect voluntarily turned over additional weapons to officers, and they were also removed from the house.
No one was injured and no damage was found to any houses in the area. It appears that the suspect fired several rounds into a tree located on his property.
No charges have been filed at this time and the suspect has not been arrested. Pending charges will be sent to the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office for review of several felony and misdemeanor charges.