TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — An officer-involved shooting on January 22 left one deputy with a bullet in his leg and a suspect in critical condition.
Around 8:40 p.m. the Pima County Sheriff's Department responded to a report of a hit-and-run collision at Valencia Road and Camino Verde. That report led them to the 6400 block of West Swan Falls Way, where the shootout would take place.
It is unknown who fired the first bullet.
One neighbor, who wishes to remain anonymous, says she was home during the time of the shootout:
"As soon as we heard it (gunfire) we got on the floor and got our nieces and just tried to protect them.
We weren't sure what was going on."
What she didn't know was a that bullet went through her bedroom window during the exchange. It was only discovered when deputies arrived at her door, notifying her of the bullet hole.
"We didn't hear it. There were so many bullets coming through I think we were maybe just in a panic."
She says the bullet went through her bedroom window, then through her wall and into a neighboring bedroom's closet.
But the neighbor says the shootout wasn't the first time that the suspect had fired a gun that day.
"It was around five (o'clock). He kinda just came out of his garage, getting in his car and he was talking to—I believe—himself," the neighbor tells KGUN 9. "There was no one else around. He fired three shots but we didn't see to who or to where."
She says she watched this incident from captured footage from her Ring Doorbell. This then prompted her to review more footage from the days leading up to the incident.
"Looking back at our camera footage, it looked like he only left during the night. He wasn't really someone who came out during the day," she says. "It's hard nowadays to know your neighbors."
She claims that after the three initial gunshots earlier in the afternoon, the suspect drove away in his vehicle, before returning later that evening with a nearly totaled vehicle and a missing tire. It was then that deputies arrived on the scene and the shootout took place.
"We hope it was a one-off incident but I guess you never really know."
Both the suspect and deputy were transported to the hospital to treat their injuries.
The Tucson Police Department will be the lead investigating agency. The investigation is still underway.
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Breanna Isbell is a reporter for KGUN 9. She joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2022 after receiving her bachelor’s degree in sports journalism from Arizona State University in May. Share your story ideas with Breanna by emailing breanna.isbell@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
