BULLHEAD CITY, Arizona — Bullhead City Police were involved in a fatal officer-involved shooting on April 3, 2025, at 3:30 p.m., following a pursuit that began with a stolen water taxi on the Colorado River in Laughlin, Nevada. The incident unfolded when officers assisted the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in tracking a male suspect who had crossed into Arizona, landing in the 1600 block of Highway 95 in Bullhead City. The suspect fired at police, prompting officers to return fire, resulting in his death. No other injuries were reported.
The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office is handling the investigation, as is standard protocol for officer-involved shootings to ensure impartiality. Traffic disruptions were reported near Highway 95 by Lowe’s, with police advising the public to avoid the area. Bullhead City, a community of about 40,000 along the Colorado River, has seen similar incidents in the past—local news archives note a 2016 officer-involved shooting where a woman was injured after pointing an airsoft gun at police, and a 2022 case involving a suspect shot during an armed robbery pursuit. These incidents highlight the challenges of policing in a region where cross-jurisdictional crimes, often involving Nevada and Arizona, are not uncommon due to the river’s border dynamics.
While the police narrative frames the suspect as the aggressor, the lack of body camera footage or suspect identity raises questions about transparency. Posts on X suggest the suspect may have stolen a postal truck in Bullhead City before taking the water taxi, indicating a possible spree of erratic behavior, but this remains unconfirmed by official sources. The involvement of multiple agencies underscores the complexity of such cases, yet it also prompts scrutiny of whether de-escalation tactics were feasible, especially given the suspect’s isolated position on the riverbank.
