Incident in US-AZ

An officer with the Tucson Police Department (TPD) was shot and killed, and two deputy sheriffs with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) were injured as a result of a felony traffic pursuit on June 1 in Tucson. Shortly before 10 a.m., dispatchers with the PCSD received several calls about a man in camouflage clothing who was shooting at houses. Deputies were dispatched, arrived at the scene at 10:08 a.m., and obtained a description of the man’s vehicle. A 30-year-old PCSD deputy, with nearly 1 year of law enforcement experience, spotted the man’s vehicle. The suspect waved at the deputy and motioned for the deputy to come to him. The suspect then raised a 5.45x39 mm semiautomatic rifle and fired at the deputy, striking him in the left shoulder. The deputy returned fire with three rounds from his service weapon, a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun. None of the rounds struck the suspect, who fled. The injured deputy attempted to pursue the suspect, but his marked police car sustained gunshot damage to the engine, making it inoperable. At 10:21 a.m., a sergeant with the TPD spotted the suspect’s vehicle, broadcast the vehicle’s location and description, and followed the vehicle. Several other officers from the TPD and the PCSD joined in the chase. As the suspect drove, he slung his weapon over his shoulder and fired at the officers. One shot hit the lead patrol car in the windshield. At 10:25 a.m., a 43-year-old TPD officer, with more than 4 years of law enforcement experience, was headed toward the suspect’s vehicle when he made a U-turn and joined the chase as the lead vehicle as several police units had backed off the chase. The suspect again slung his weapon over his shoulder and fired additional rounds. Officers had planned to put down spike strips at a nearby intersection, but the suspect stopped about 75 yards from the strips and fired at the officers. One round traveled through the windshield and dashboard, striking the victim officer, who was wearing body armor, above the left eye. The officer’s car rolled to a stop, and the suspect, still in his vehicle, fled. Deputies lost the suspect’s vehicle, but a 32-year-old PCSD deputy, with nearly 8 years of law enforcement experience, who was responding to the incident, saw the car, did a U-turn, and pursued the suspect. As the deputy rounded a blind corner, he was confronted by the suspect, who had stopped his vehicle in the traffic lane and was kneeling on the front seat, taking aim at the deputy. The suspect fired at least 22 times, striking the deputy, who was wearing body armor, on the side of the head, slightly injuring him. The suspect then traveled to a nearby campground where he stopped his vehicle and waited for officers to detain him. Officers arrested him without incident at 10:45 a.m. The fatally injured TPD officer was airlifted to a local hospital where he died of his injuries the next day. In all, the 25-year-old suspect fired 90 rounds at law enforcement officers. He had a prior criminal record and was known to use drugs. He was charged with First-Degree Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer, two counts of Attempted First-Degree Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer, three counts of Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer, and two counts of Discharge of a Firearm at a Structure. The 32-year-old injured deputy returned to duty on June 6. At the time of this publication, it is unknown if the 30-year-old deputy returned to duty.