TUCSON, Ariz. — Tucson Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting that happened on Tucson's south side August 22.
On Wednesday, police arranged an undercover purchase of illegal narcotics from a wanted suspect, and were looking for the teen, who was suspected in an armed robbery, according to TPD. He was also wanted for aggravated robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and burglary.
Police say around 11 a.m. an undercover officer was able to purchase narcotics from the teen, positively identifying him as the suspect they were searching for. Shortly thereafter, officers waiting nearby moved in to make the arrest near Valley Road and Calle Rancho Rio.
When the teen saw officers he fled on foot, according to TPD. Officers followed him and gave commands to “get on the ground."
Police say the suspect refused to follow officer commands, and during the foot pursuit he presented a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun. An officer then fired two shots from his duty weapon, striking the teen twice.
The officers rendered first aid on the teen until Tucson Fire medics arrived, a TPD spokesperson said. He was pronounced dead on scene a short time later.
Police say the suspect involved was a 17-year-old male. Next of kin has been notified, but his name is currently being withheld.
Detectives with Violent Crimes Unit responded to conduct the criminal portion of the investigation. Sergeants with the Office of Professional Standards are administering a separate, but standard investigation to evaluate the actions of department personnel.
No officers were injured in this officer-involved shooting.
The investigation is ongoing, more details will be released as they become available.
The department remains committed to meeting the public’s need for immediate transparency and will continue to release information concerning officer-involved shootings and in-custody deaths even though it may be preliminary and incomplete. However, as we recently discussed with the community, we will have some situations in which exceptional circumstances involving constitutional rights, statutory prohibitions, or other legal requirements prevent the release of body-worn camera footage within 72 hours. The officer-involved shooting from Wednesday (August 26, 2020) presents such a circumstance, as members of the decedent’s family have requested time to seek a court order to prevent the release of the body-worn camera video. The department intends to honor this request and will provide the relevant footage when the legal matters have been resolved.
