Overview
- Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano fired Sgt. Dusten Mullen on Thursday after a Loudermill review, a required meeting where a public employee can answer allegations before discipline is imposed.
- Body-camera and cellphone video released by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office showed Mullen at the Jan. 30 Hamilton High walkout masked and armed as he told officers he planned to let students assault him so police could arrest them.
- A teenager was arrested during the confrontation for splashing water on Mullen, and prosecutors later declined to file charges in that case.
- Mullen sued the city alleging First Amendment and due process violations and, after the firing, filed an emergency motion seeking a court order to block the termination and restore him to paid leave.
- Professional Standards investigator Lt. Byron Bewley testified he felt the internal probe was rushed and said the case was reclassified around the time a city councilmember spoke out, as the city points to policy standards and community trust; next steps include a federal court hearing Monday and a possible Civil Service Board appeal.