Police shot and killed a man armed with a knife after he attempted to run from officers in south Phoenix early on Aug. 31, according to the Phoenix Police Department.

At about 12:45 a.m., two Phoenix police officers on patrol attempted to stop a man riding a bicycle near a park at 20th Street and Southern Avenue, according to Sgt. Phil Krynsky in a written statement.

The officers “were investigating” the man, Krynsky said. His statement did not say why the man on the bike was under investigation.

The man ran away from authorities as they tried to speak with him, Krynsky said.

Officers caught the man and tried to detain him, but he resisted and pulled out a knife, Krynsky said.

As one of the officers tried to detain the man, his partner warned that the man had a knife, took out his gun and shot the man, Krynsky said.

Officers provided first aid until the Phoenix Fire Department arrived and took the man to the hospital, where he later died, Krynsky said.

Police did not release the identity of the man.

The two police officers involved in the shooting were assigned to Phoenix police’s South Mountain precinct, Krynsky said.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety was investigating the shooting, but Phoenix police detectives were present for the initial processing of the scene, he said.

Sgt. Brian Bower declined to provide further information regarding the reason for putting the man on the bike under investigation, but said more would be shared on Sept. 12.

Bower said as part of the Phoenix Police Department’s “14-day transparency promise,” body camera footage, reports and additional information on the officer-involved shooting would be released soon.

There have been at least 40 police shootings in Arizona so far in 2025, with at least 30 of them fatal. Phoenix police have shot seven people, five fatally.

Rey Covarrubias Jr. reports breaking news for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@gannett.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man with knife shot and killed by police in south Phoenix