Phoenix Police Officer Shoots Unarmed 19-year-old Latino Man in the Face

Police are investigating an incident in which a Phoenix police officer shot a 19-year-old suspect in the face during a traffic stop. Officer Mykal Moller fired a single shot in defense after watching the suspect, Pineda Santana, reach for a what was believed to be a gun in the front passenger seat of a Volkswagen Rabbit at 1:15 a.m. today near 27th Avenue and Van Buren Street, police said. Moller and another officer tried to pull over the Rabbit after watching it driving erratically on 27th Avenue.  After the officers got out of their squad car, the Rabbit drove away suddenly. The officers returned to their car and went in pursuit and the suspects' vehicle stopped again, moments later. Moller "feared for his life," after watching Santana reach for what he believed to be a handgun, police said.  Investigators searched the Rabbit, but did not find a gun.  Santana, the registered owner of the vehicle, was transported to St. Joseph's Hospital in serious condition.  Santana was one of six passengers in the vehicle, including four minors.  After the shot was fired, the Rabbit crashed into the wall at El Taquito restaurant at 2720 W. Van Buren Street. [more]