By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Two suspects were shot and killed by police in separate domestic violence incidents less than 12 hours apart in the Valley.
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The first shooting happened in north Phoenix late Friday night. The second occurred in Chandler on Saturday morning.
Phoenix police responded to a family fight at a home near 35th Avenue and Greenway Road around 11 p.m. Friday.
“Officers responded, and upon arrival, they had contact with a female at the front of the target residence in question,” Phoenix Police Sgt. John Buchanan said. “While they were contacting her, an adult male stepped out of the front door of the house, and he was in possession of a knife.”
Officers shot the suspect after he refused to drop the knife, police said.
Around 10:20 a.m. on Saturday, Chandler police shot and killed 32-year-old Jeremiah Partridge near McQueen Road and Galveston Street. Officers said Partridge was armed with a shotgun in the front yard of a home, with a woman sitting in a nearby car.
Officers shot Partridge after they said he was given multiple commands to drop the shotgun.
“My heart goes out to the families of everyone involved, the officers, the victim, everyone in that situation. It’s just heartbreaking,” said Tanner Swanson, the marketing director for the nonprofit A New Leaf.
Swanson said summertime stressors, including extreme heat, can lead to a spike in domestic violence calls.
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“We see domestic violence increase when there’s more stress in the household,” Swanson said. “When temperatures are high, kids might be out of school, and we have an economy where a lot of households are really struggling.”
Swanson said more people have called A New Leaf shelters seeking help in recent months. He said Maricopa County’s decision to shut down its centralized domestic violence hotline after losing funding has added to concerns.
“It’s a lot harder to get through to a resource that’s like the perfect fit for you,” Swanson said. “And so it’s just had us concerned just across the board.”
Both shootings are under investigation.
If you or someone you know is struggling with domestic violence, click/tap here for a list of resources available around Maricopa County.
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