Authorities: Veteran fatally shot by Maricopa police had gun

MARICOPA, Ariz. (AP) - An Arizona military veteran who was fatally shot over the weekend had a handgun and pointed it at officers before they shot him, Maricopa police said Tuesday.

Police spokesman Ricardo Alvarado said it was still unclear if Johnathan Guillory's gun was loaded and if he fired at the officers.

Earlier Tuesday, Guillory's widow said her husband struggled for years with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Maria Garcia said his PTSD was brought on by a combat deployment in Iraq.

Guillory, 32, also spent time as a contract worker in Afghanistan, she said.

"Sometimes he couldn't even deal with day-to-day life. It was a struggle for him to get through each morning, but he did," Garcia told KTVK-TV.

The co-owner of a local gym said Guillory told him he struggled with PTSD from his days seeing combat in the Middle East and that he was turning to exercise as a way to cope.

Guillory "acknowledged that he had come back from Iraq and was struggling with a lot of the issues of PTSD," Jon Guarnery, co-owner of CrossFit Maricopa, told the Maricopa Monitor. "He definitely understood that he needed help."

The Arizona Department of Public Safety is investigating Sunday's shooting, which occurred near Guillory's home.

Neighbors had called police several times to report disturbances. Officers arrived at the home following several 911 hang-up calls, according to DPS.

Alvarado said the officers fired because they feared "for their safety and the safety of the community."

Guillory, the father of sons ages 4 and 9, died at a Chandler hospital.

Garcia, who was home when her husband was shot, said she didn't know anything was wrong and doesn't believe her husband had a gun.

She said Guillory actively sought help for his condition.

"He saw therapists and was on the phone constantly with suicide hotlines," Garcia said.

Alvarado said the two officers involved in the shooting - Sgt. Leonard Perez and Officer Joshua Hawksworth - were placed on paid administrative leave while the DPS investigates.