Phoenix police shot 8 people over 6 weeks. Chief says more training is needed

Phoenix police say they need to continue training on use of force after a series of officer-involved shootings, including two incidents on Thursday.

Matt Giordano has served as the police chief since late August.

“Officers are in stressful situations all the time and they have to make split second decisions but the stress this brings and the impact this has both on the employees involved, as well as members of the community involved is not lost on me. The impact is great,” he said.

Police in Phoenix have shot eight people over the past six weeks. Giordano says he hopes training will help police resolve incidents in a more peaceful manner.

On Thursday, police say they wounded an armed robbery suspect at a fast-food restaurant.

Later that day, police shot and killed a man who was believed to be suicidal after officers say he ran at them with a knife.

“I understand the concern this has with the number of incidents in the short time that I’ve been here. It’s not lost on me,” he said.

Giordano has said he’s committed to continuing the reforms that Phoenix police began last year, when the Department of Justice found them to have patterns of unlawful conduct. The DOJ dropped those findings in May.