This is the moment Arizona cops fatally shoot a suspect after he reaches for a firearm in his waistband that turned out to be a replica airgun.

The officer-involved shooting took place in the city of Chandler in Maricopa County the US state of Arizona on 22nd March.

In a Critical Incident Community Briefing on 15th April, the Mesa Police Department (MPD) said the suspect, named as 27-year-old Alberto Noriega, was spotted on a stolen motorbike in Mesa City, also in Maricopa County.

MPD spokesperson Eva Zermeno said officers of the Chandler Police Department (CPD) fatally shot the suspect when he entered Chandler City, and that MPD cops were not involved at that point.

CPD said in a statement that Mesa officers spotted the suspect heading towards Chandler and tried to stop him on Ray Road, but he managed to escape.

A MPD helicopter tracked the suspect to a trailer park in Chandler where he stopped and was promptly met by officers who arrived on the scene in unmarked cars.

The police said an officer hit Noriega with a “less-lethal shotgun” that made him fall to the ground before another cop tasered him.

According to the police, Noriega reached for a weapon in his waistband and three Chandler officers fired at him, striking him multiple times.

Noriega was pronounced dead at the scene at around 8.30 pm.

The police later identified Noriega’s weapon as a semi-automatic replica-style CO2 gun.

The MPD spokesperson confirmed that no officers were injured in the shooting, currently being investigated by the CPD.