UPDATE: Authorities release video of officer-involved shooting in Tucson
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - Authorities have released body camera footage of an incident, during which a police officer shot a suspect at the Circle K at the intersection of Park Avenue and Bilby Road in Tucson on Thursday, Aug. 25.
Tucson police said they were conducting surveillance on 49-year-old Francisco Javier Galarza, who was wanted in connection with a home invasion and several band robberies in the Tucson area.
Officers and SWAT team members confronted Galarza as he was leaving the Circle K. He was ordered to stop and show his hands, but reportedly ran away and pulled a black handgun out of a bag he was carrying.
A K9 officer was released and stopped Galarza, causing him to fall to the ground. Galarza then allegedly pointed his gun at officers before they fired at him.
Police treated Galarza at the scene before he was pronounced dead at the scene.
No officers or bystanders were injured.
According to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Galarza has a long criminal history in Pima County.
In 1992, he was sentenced to three years in prison as part of the shock incarceration program. In 1994, he was convicted of drug possession and was sentenced to four years.
In 2000, he was convicted of vehicle theft and sentenced to 1.5 years. A year later, he was convicted of on six counts of robbery armed and armed robbery and received an 11-year sentence.
In 2011, he again convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to 7 .5 years.
The officers involved in the shooting have been identified as Officer Ernest Ortiz, a 17-year TPD veteran, and Officer Barrie Pedersen, a 15-year veteran.
The Pima Regional Critical Incident Team is investigating the shooting, with sheriff’s deputies taking the lead. The TPD’s Office of Professional Standards will conduct a separate administrative investigation to examine the actions of the officers involved.
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