PHOENIX — Police shot and killed an ex-convict Saturday morning after he refused to stop throwing rocks at officers outside a Phoenix precinct.

The man — identified as 41-year-old Lonnie Niesen — threw a rock at a police car outside a Phoenix police precinct on Saturday morning and struck the vehicle, the Arizona Republic reported.

Niesen threw another rock at the precinct, breaking the glass on a door. He threw another rock as policemen approached, aiming for one of the officers' heads. The rock bounced off a tree and hit the officer's hand instead, Sgt. Jonathan Howard told the Arizona Republic in a news video.

According to NBC News, the same officer responded by firing a single shot, critically wounding Niesen. He died later at a local hospital.

Niesen's family told police that he had taken a gun and alcohol on Friday, but returned the weapon Saturday morning, reported the Arizona Republic. They added that he was "impaired" — without specifying how — and was making suicidal statements when he left.

Niesen had a string of convictions dating back to 2000 and had served three prison terms, the most recent of which was for criminal trespassing and weapons misconduct charges.

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