Shortly after 3 a.m. police received a call of a suspicious subject near the Town of Payson Community Development building. The caller stated the subject was acting strange and talking to himself. Police received additional calls from the Bison Cove apartments. One of the callers reported that they could see someone in their vehicle. Officers confronted Michael Romo, who allegedly was at the caller's vehicle. Officers ordered Romo to get on the ground, but he did not comply. He reportedly came toward the officers while holding a knife, and the officers shot and killed him.
Killer: Justin Deaton, Jirhod Brennan, Max Farren
Agency: Payson Police Department
Motive: Suspicious person
Confrontation Type: None/Unknown
Service Call: Yes
Body Camera: no
Official Disposition: Pending investigation
Victim Name: Micahel Romo
Death Date: January 4, 2021
County: Gila
Geography: Rural
Gender: Male
Age: 28
Race: Unknown race
Cause of Death: Gunshot
Criminal Charges: No known charges
Mental Illness: No
Armed: Allegedly Armed
Weapon: knife
Threat Level: other
Fleeing: not fleeing
Washington Post Database ID: 6509