DPS Completes Investigation into Officer-Involved Shooting in Prescott

An investigation by the Arizona Department of Public Safety has concluded into an officer-involved shooting that occurred on June 8. Based on the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s report, we know the following:

On June 7, at approximately 8:00 a.m., Prescott police received multiple calls about a domestic dispute in which a male suspect threatened to kill his girlfriend and had tried breaking down the door of an RV where she was locked inside. Officers responded to the address in the 1900 block of Sycamore Drive in Prescott, but the suspect, identified as 34-year-old Daniel Leslie, had left the scene before officers arrived.

A responding officer observed Leslie in his vehicle and attempted to perform a traffic stop to question him about the incident. Leslie failed to yield to the officer and fled the area at a high rate of speed. The investigation established probable cause for his arrest on several charges related to the domestic violence incident, as well as felony unlawful flight from law enforcement.

On June 8, at approximately 7:00 p.m., two Prescott police officers returned to the residence on Sycamore Drive to locate and arrest Leslie. He was contacted outside in the front driveway by the officer and given verbal commands, which he ignored. Leslie began moving toward the carport area of the residence against the officer’s commands. He then ran into a side door of the residence, at which point the officer fired three rounds from his handgun, striking Leslie.

Officers attempted life-saving measures at the scene. Leslie was transported to Yavapai Regional Medical Center before being flown to a Phoenix-area hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety investigation concluded that Leslie was not armed when the officer fired his handgun.

The officer involved in this incident was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of this investigation and an internal review. The Arizona Department of Public Safety’s investigation has been forwarded to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for a full review, which is ongoing.