A Maricopa police officer-involved shooting is being investigated.  

Officers were called to 40789 W. Portis Dr. in the Desert Passage neighborhood for a person in distress just before 8 a.m. this morning. Russell Avila, 39, was shot three times by at least one Maricopa police officer, his mother told InMaricopa. It is unclear who all shot him.

“This was all a big mistake,” said the victim’s mother, Liane Avila.

Russell was upset because he lost a job in the computer science sector. Avila’s car broke down as he was traveling to Texas to start a job and had to return to Arizona. He was holding a knife and threatening self-harm when Liane called the police to help calm him down, she said.

“Four [officers] came in and two seconds later, boom boom boom,” said Avila. “He wasn’t attacking anyone. He was upset and scared.” 

Officers told Avila to put down the knife four times before opening fire, she said.

Standard procedure is to take an investigation out of the hands of the department involved. The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office will be the lead investigative agency looking into the incident as part of the Pinal Regional Special Investigations Unit.  

At 11 a.m., the Maricopa Police Crime Scene Unit van arrived at the scene. An officer told reporters to stay back, as they were awaiting a warrant to further canvas the home. The front door of the house was wide open.  

The police spokesperson Monica Williams at 2:15 p.m. said there was nothing new to share. The PCSO spokesperson J.D. Fitzgerald directed reporters back to MPD around 3 p.m.

Russell Avila was taken to Dignity Chandler and was in surgery this afternoon, his mother said. His condition was not immediately known.  

“I wish police would have just taken a minute and talked to him before shooting,” said Avila, as she drove to see her son.