Coverage spread: 2 sources — 2 unrated
Lean ratings via AllSides / Media Bias-Fact-Check. How this works.
Where they agree
- Mesa police were involved in two separate shootings on back-to-back days this week.
- One shooting occurred Monday near Mesa Drive and McKellips Road after reports of a man making threats with a gun, resulting in his death.
- The second occurred Tuesday near McQueen and Frye roads, on the Mesa-Chandler border, involving a man armed with a rifle.
- Both incidents are being investigated by the East Valley Critical Incident Response Team and remain in early stages.
Where they differ
- ABC15 provides substantially more detail, including the suspect’s identity (Dwayne Varela, 47), the domestic violence context, and eyewitness accounts from neighbors.
- 12 News offers only a brief note confirming the Sept. 1 shooting location, without naming anyone involved.
- ABC15 includes outside legal commentary from attorney Benjamin Taylor on police use-of-force standards, a perspective absent from 12 News’s report.
- ABC15 covers both shootings as a linked pair; 12 News’s excerpt addresses only the Chandler-area incident.
Mesa police officers were involved in two separate shootings on consecutive days this week, one in Mesa and one in neighboring Chandler. Both incidents are being investigated by the East Valley Critical Incident Response Team and remain in early stages, with limited details released so far.
What happened in each incident?
The first shooting happened Monday near Mesa Drive and McKellips Road, after neighbors called police to report a man making threats with a gun. Officers shot and killed the man; his identity has not been released, and police have not detailed the exact circumstances that led to the use of deadly force.
The second shooting took place Tuesday afternoon near South McQueen Road and East Frye Road in Chandler, just over the Mesa city line. Mesa officers were attempting to arrest a man connected to a domestic violence call that had originated in Mesa. Chandler police identified him as 47-year-old Dwayne Varela, who officers say was seen carrying a rifle during the encounter.
What did witnesses see?
Neighbors near the Chandler scene, identified as Mike North and Ashley Sheriff, described a tense standoff in what they called an otherwise quiet residential area. North said he heard officers on a loudspeaker, which he believed were instructions related to a search warrant, and described hearing officers attempting to get the man out of a home. Sheriff said the noise and activity prompted residents to watch cautiously from their windows.
What are police and legal experts saying?
Mesa police have offered few specifics on either case, saying only that both investigations are in early stages. Attorney Benjamin Taylor, who was not involved in either case but has experience representing clients in lawsuits against police departments, commented generally on use-of-force standards. He said departments have increasingly adopted de-escalation and crisis intervention training, and that while officers are legally permitted to use deadly force when they fear for their lives and a weapon is present, less lethal options should be used when that fear isn’t present.
Who is investigating, and what happens next?
Both shootings are being handled by the East Valley Critical Incident Response Team, a multi-agency unit that investigates officer-involved shootings across the region independently of the department involved. No timeline has been given for when findings from either investigation will be released, and the names of the officers involved have not been made public in either case.
Why this matters
Two officer-involved shootings within 24 hours in the same police department draws scrutiny to use-of-force practices and how such incidents are investigated. The involvement of an independent regional team reflects a broader shift among Arizona law enforcement agencies to have outside investigators review police shootings rather than departments investigating themselves, a practice intended to bolster public trust in the outcome.
Sources
Featured photo: Marine 69-71 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)