Brett Shanahan: Gilbert police shoot 40-year-old armed man in ballistic vest assumed to have PTSD

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

GILBERT, ARIZONA: A man was shot and killed by Gilbert police on Sunday afternoon after they reported that he had exited his car while armed with a rifle and handgun and was wearing a ballistic vest.

Brett Shanahan, 40, was identified as the man. Authorities said that they responded to a report of a gunman near Cooper and Warner roads just after 2:00 p.m. 

Brett Shanahan 'did not listen' to police's commands

Gilbert police received a report about a gunman in a neighborhood at 2:00 p.m. According to the police, Shanahan was quickly located at the intersection of Knox and Parkcrest roads in a neighborhood close to Greenfield and Warner roads.

Police claim they discovered him in the neighborhood, seated in a car. Shanahan came out of his car carrying a rifle and a handgun while wearing a ballistic vest as the police drew near.

He began to walk toward the cops, who were screaming for him to stop. Public Information Officer Leyba of the Gilbert Police Department stated, "He did not listen to the commands, and the officers responded to the threat."

Shanahan died at the scene from his wounds. The Gilbert Police Department stated that there were no injuries to officers or civilians and that an investigation was continued, Arizona Republic stated.

Police probe reasons behind Brett Shanahan's possession of firearm

The neighborhood and streets were taped off by police for several hours. Neighbors in the vicinity claimed that such incidents are uncommon in their area.

"Very scary. Yeah, it’s a wonderful neighborhood here in Gilbert. Things like that usually don’t happen," according to neighbor Ryan Bartman., as reported by Arizona's Family

According to police, they currently don't know why Shanahan had a gun or what he was up to.

“We don’t know if he lives in the neighborhood, but we assumed he was going to his residence. I mean, that’s why he was in the area,” Leyba remarked.

The report from the police says that this was an isolated incident and no other officers were hurt. The public is not in danger at this time.

Police Department tweeted writing, "Gilbert officers are at the scene of an officer involved shooting near Greenfield and Knox Roads. There is no threat to the public. Media staging is at Knox Road and Kendra Street. PIO is on scene."