Phoenix officer killed, 2 others wounded; gunman killed

Authorities say a 22-year-old man fatally shot a Phoenix police commander and wounded two other officers as they tried to remove him from a home after his roommates complained he was acting erratically.

Cmdr. Greg Carnicle, a 31-year-old police veteran who was months away from retiring, and the two other officers were shot Sunday night as they walked up stairs in the house after the suspect refused to leave, said Phoenix police spokeswoman Sgt. Mercedes Fortune.

The suspect, whose identity hasn't yet been released, remained in the home after the injured officers were removed. He eventually walked out of the home armed and was killed, though authorities didn't say if he died from officers' gunfire.

The two wounded officers are expected to survive.

It's unclear what erratic behavior was displaying that prompted the suspect's roommates to kick him out.

Fortune said there initially was no indication that things would turn bad as officers helped the suspect carry his belongings out of the home. There was interaction with the suspect, Fortune said Monday.

But then the suspect stopped cooperating as he closed the door to the house and left the officers outside.

Carnicle and two other officers then entered the house and started to make their way up the stairs when the suspect opened fire.

Carnicle was pronounced dead at a hospital. He is survived by a wife and four children. He worked in several positions in the police department, mostly recently overseeing evening and weekend patrol operations.

"Tonight we lost a true hero. Greg Carnicle was a 31-year veteran of our department," Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams said.

One of the wounded officers has three years with the police force, while the other has nearly two years of service. Their identities haven't been released.

Mayor Kate Gallego tweeted: Our thoughts are with the loved ones of these officers and the entire Phoenix Police Department. Please keep these individuals in your thoughts."