Second grand jury declines to indict former Tucson police officer on manslaughter charge

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - A second grand jury recently voted not to indict a former Tucson police officer on a manslaughter charge after he shot a man in a mobility scooter numerous times, according to the officers’ attorney.

The former officer, Ryan Remington, was initially indicted on the manslaughter charge in August. Remington’s attorney, Mike Storie, challenged that indictment, arguing that it was unfair because the information presented to the first grand jury was misleading.

“We challenged the first one and the judge ruled it unfair,” Storie said. “Obviously, the grand jury had more common sense than Regina Romero and (Pima County Attorney) Laura Conover.”

13 News reached out to the Pima County Attorney’s Office and received the following response.

“Victim notification is our focus and top priority at this hour, as the matter continues under our review.”

Storie said most of the time, the case would be closed. However, he said prosecutors could present the case to a third grand jury, but that would be unprecedented.

At the time of the shooting, on Nov. 29, 2021, Remington had been working off-duty as a security guard at the Walmart near Midvale Park and West Valencia Road.

An employee told Remington that a man in a mobility scooter had stolen a toolbox from the store and pulled a knife on them when they approached him.

Remington followed the man, 61-year-old Richard Lee Richards, across the street to the Garden Center of the nearby Lowe’s Home Improvement store.

Video of the incident shows Remington ordering Richards to not enter the store, but Richards ignores his commands and continues towards the entrance. Remington is then shown shooting Richards nine times, knocking him out of his scooter.

Graphic Video From Incident

Video from the incident was played during a TPD news conference. Below is an edited version of that video that shows the first few shots. KOLD has chosen not to show the whole video due to its graphic nature. The full video can be viewed HERE.

Suspect’s Past

According to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Richards has a long violent criminal history.

In 1981, he was found guilty of burglary and sentenced to seven years in prison. In 1986, he was convicted of armed robbery and was sentenced to 15 years.

In 2007, he was convicted of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault and resisting arrest. He was released in January 2018.

In early 2020, Richards was sentenced in federal court on a charge of “transporting illegal aliens for profit.” In November 2020, his probation was revoked and he was sentenced to five months in prison. He was set to start serving that sentence in April 2021.

According to a 2021 sentencing memo, Richards had a hip replacement while in prison and it “did not heal properly.” His attorney at the time, Brick P Storts III, said that is why he was in a wheelchair.

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