PEORIA, AZ— Police in Peoria, Arizona, successfully foiled an attempted kidnapping of a mother and her infant Thursday in an incident that ended with an officer-involved shooting and the death of the assailant, 43-year-old Matthew Paul Cardon, a man authorities believe had “mental health issues.”
According to home surveillance video obtained by AZFamily, the incident began when Cardon approached a woman pushing her baby in a stroller. The woman was observed telling Cardon, “No, sorry,” when the barefoot man attempted to wave her down. She reportedly kept walking, and once she rounded a corner, Cordon could be seen giving chase.
Peoria Police said in a statement that the victim was “approached from behind and bear-hugged by a male subject, who was unknown to her. During this physical altercation, the male subject attempted to take her small child away from her, but was unsuccessful.”
The woman was able to contact her husband via FaceTime during the assault. The man was reportedly nearby and able to intervene. According to Peoria PD, it was as the man attempted to communicate with Cardon that police arrived on the scene.
“Officers arrived on scene and contacted the male subject. The subject failed to comply with officer commands, which resulted in an officer-involved shooting. The officer fired at least one round at the subject, striking him,” the Department said. “As other officers arrived on scene, they were able to take the subject into custody and render aid. The subject sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased.”
The officer involved in the shooting was also hospitalized as a precaution.
Hannah Schneidmiller, who lives in the cul-de-sac where the shooting occurred, told reporters she saw Cardon about 45 minutes before the initial altercation. “He was kind of waving his hands, mumbling like asking us to help him, and we kind of just kept driving slowly. He was kind of stumbling a little bit, so then we looked in the rearview mirror and he just passed out. Like we don’t know if he was drunk or he was just dehydrated,” she said.
The investigation of the officer-involved shooting was handed off to the Glendale Police Department, as part of the West Valley Investigative Response Team (WVIRT), which is a standard protocol for incidents involving officer use of force, according to Peoria Police Public Information Officer Sergeant Araceli ‘Shelly’ Montes.
Police told reporters Friday that Cardon did not know the woman or her husband, but that he was believed to suffer from mental health issues.
According to home surveillance video obtained by AZFamily, the incident began when Cardon approached a woman pushing her baby in a stroller. The woman was observed telling Cardon, “No, sorry,” when the barefoot man attempted to wave her down. She reportedly kept walking, and once she rounded a corner, Cordon could be seen giving chase.
Peoria Police said in a statement that the victim was “approached from behind and bear-hugged by a male subject, who was unknown to her. During this physical altercation, the male subject attempted to take her small child away from her, but was unsuccessful.”
The woman was able to contact her husband via FaceTime during the assault. The man was reportedly nearby and able to intervene. According to Peoria PD, it was as the man attempted to communicate with Cardon that police arrived on the scene.
“Officers arrived on scene and contacted the male subject. The subject failed to comply with officer commands, which resulted in an officer-involved shooting. The officer fired at least one round at the subject, striking him,” the Department said. “As other officers arrived on scene, they were able to take the subject into custody and render aid. The subject sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased.”
The officer involved in the shooting was also hospitalized as a precaution.
Peoria Police are on scene of an officer-involved shooting near West Pershing Avenue and North 87th Lane. One adult subject has been transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. #PeoriaPoliceAZ #PeoriaAZ #PeoriaPDAZ pic.twitter.com/t7zhj0bj4I
— Peoria Police (AZ) (@PeoriaPoliceAZ) June 6, 2025
Hannah Schneidmiller, who lives in the cul-de-sac where the shooting occurred, told reporters she saw Cardon about 45 minutes before the initial altercation. “He was kind of waving his hands, mumbling like asking us to help him, and we kind of just kept driving slowly. He was kind of stumbling a little bit, so then we looked in the rearview mirror and he just passed out. Like we don’t know if he was drunk or he was just dehydrated,” she said.
The investigation of the officer-involved shooting was handed off to the Glendale Police Department, as part of the West Valley Investigative Response Team (WVIRT), which is a standard protocol for incidents involving officer use of force, according to Peoria Police Public Information Officer Sergeant Araceli ‘Shelly’ Montes.
Police told reporters Friday that Cardon did not know the woman or her husband, but that he was believed to suffer from mental health issues.
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