TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Pima County Attorney Laura Conover broke her silence on the November deadly shooting of 61-year-old wheelchair user Richard Lee Richards by off-duty Tucson police officer Ryan Remington.
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The shooting happened near the Walmart on Valencia Road near Oak Tree Drive Nov. 29. A Walmart employee told Remington that Richards had stolen a toolbox. Remington caught up with Richards in the parking lot and asked to see a receipt. Richards pulled out a knife and started to enter the garden center-area at a nearby Lowe's. Another officer arrived at the scene, and both officers told Richards not to enter the store. Remington fired nine rounds at Richards, hitting him in the back and side. Richards later died.
TPD is in the process of firing Remington and released body-cam video of the incident.
"The video is jarring," Conover said in a video statement. "And, the video represents but a fraction of the evidence we must evaluate to determine if criminal charges are warranted in this incident. Charging decisions, especially involving incidents in which a loss of life has occurred, are not made in this Office based on emotion. They are based on a deliberative review of all the facts and all the evidence at hand. It is our obligation, my obligation, to get these decisions right, not rushed, while strictly ensuring the rights of the accused as embodied in our Constitution and laws."
Conover is convening a critical incident review group to help decide to present a case to indict Remington to a Grand Jury.
"In order to preserve the impartiality of our prosecutors and to protect the integrity of the process, I cannot and will not comment further about this matter at this time," Conover said. "Thank you for continuing to be patient. Be safe and be well."
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