Man with BB gun and fighting is shot, killed by police

[Tonk]

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/m ... f6e29.html

A man armed with a BB gun who was fighting with his sister was shot and killed by two Tucson police officers Saturday night on the south side.

The man, Freddy Batt Sosa, 22, was fatally wounded while at El Pueblo Regional Center, 101 W. Irvington Road, said Sgt. Chris Widmer, a Tucson Police Department spokesman.

The shooting happened shortly after 7 p.m. when Sgt. Will Corrales and Officer Jesus Tapia were dispatched to the scene of a man and woman fighting near the center's parking lot, Widmer said.

During their investigation, detectives found out that Sosa was fighting with his sister.

Detectives also found out that Sosa was armed with an all-black Stinger P311 BB gun, which looks like a handgun, Widmer said. Other such BB guns often have orange tips.

The 911 caller reported that the man had a gun, and at one point had the woman down on the ground with the gun pointed at her, said Widmer.

As the officers got out of their patrol car, Corrales saw what he thought was a gun in Sosa's waistband, said Widmer.

There was a confrontation between the officers and Sosa, who began walking toward the officers and removed the gun from his waistband, Widmer said.

Corrales and Tapia both fired their guns at Sosa, striking him. The officers administered first aid until Tucson Fire Department paramedics arrived, said Widmer.

Sosa was pronounced dead at the scene. His sister, who was not identified, was not injured.

Corrales is a 16-year veteran of the Police Department, and Tapia was hired in September 2012, said Widmer.

As standard procedure in officer-involved shootings, both officers were placed on administrative leave.

Homicide detectives are investigating the shooting, and internal affairs is conducting an administrative investigation to determine if department procedures and policies were followed.

Thankfully this is listed as a BB gun in the article. I realize this was none of us however I feel like it is our responsibility to make every effort to show that incidents like this are not what we are about. We need to make every effort to educate the new player as well as the public. Its incidents like this that can kill the sport we love. Thank you

[KileyHAZ]

My sympathies to the officer, the victims family, and especially his sister. That must have been a devastating experience to everyone involved. There may have been other history that made him confront the officers that we are not privy to but according to the article this could have been diffused by simply putting his hands up and letting the officers secure him so he could explain. So sad...

Thanks for bringing this up Tonk. It remind us of the importance of playing out of site from the public even when in a legal area. They have no idea from a distance that any replica (BB or airsoft) is a real firearm or not and will respond in a very alarmed manner. The LEOs who they call will arrive on scene in a state of alert and the only thing on their minds is to control the situation so they can sort it out. For them control means disarming you as quickly and safely as possible, if there is a doubt in their mind that you will respond with violence they will control the situation by putting you down. Its what they are trained to do and outside of the context of being within our group they honestly believe that they are in a 'kill him before he kills me scenario'. We need to keep that in our heads when out and about enjoying our hobby.

The best possible response in a situation like this is to make the officer feel as in control as possible. This will mean putting your hands straight up in the air or eating dirt then waiting for commands from him. Under no circumstances do you ever try to approach them or 'show' them its a toy. What you see as showing a toy looks to them like drawing a weapon. Once he kicks you around a bit and cuffs you then you can explain the situation. If you are playing legally then no issues. If your playing illegally you might get a ticket but at least you survive.

John Q Public nor an LEO have no idea that we are joking around with each other 10 minutes previous, or playing dress-up in the desert. They simply perceive what is presented to them, which is a person in tactical gear with a firearm. It's only after the event that the time-line and circumstances are sorted out. I for one would prefer to get cuffed and eat a little dirt while the office controls the situation then laugh about it and go home afterwards and go home. Likewise I'm sure that officer would be fine with feeling like he should have assessed the situation better before clearing leather and shouting orders but he will be happy to be able home without someones avoidable death on their hands.

[BigDog]

Thank you for sharing that post.
Rough times ahead for both officers and the family of the kid... I'll be praying for all.

[The Honey Badger]

Thank you for sharing that post.
Rough times ahead for both officers and the family of the kid... I'll be praying for all.

Not a kid... 22 year old grown ass man. I was in two armed conflicts by 22 and had been awarded a purple heart, a bronze and a silver star by then. He knew what he was doing and showed intent. The only thing positive though was that it says "BB" gun.