Tucson police officer killed man who pointed gun in standoff, investigators say

The Pima Regional Critical Incident Team said Thursday it is investigating after a Tucson police SWAT officer shot and killed a suspect who pointed a gun toward officers during a standoff July 13.

Officer Chad Barker, a nine-year veteran of the Tucson Police Department, fired a single shot from his department-issued rifle, killing Daniel Sheehan, 32, the investigators said in a news release Thursday.

Investigators gave the following account of the incident:

Tucson police were responding on July 12 to a report of a home invasion and armed robbery in the 6700 block of East Calle Mercurio, near the intersection of East Golf Links and South Wilmot roads.

They found Sheehan, the suspect in that case, who was believed to have firearms, at a home in the 1000 block of East 32nd Street, near the intersection of South Park Avenue and East Silverlake Road. He was believed to have firearms and the SWAT team and Hostage Negotiations Unit were called in to assist.

Negotiations with Sheehan continued for several hours, but he displayed uncooperative and erratic behavior, periodically coming out of the home with a laser-equipped firearm in hand.

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At about 3 a.m. July 13, Barker saw Sheehan pointing a handgun from a window in the direction of officers and the officer fired and struck the suspect. 

Sheehan was pronounced dead at the scene. A handgun was found lying near him.

The Pima Regional Critical Incident Team was activated to handle the investigation. The Pima County Sheriff's Department and the Sahuarita Police Department will be the investigating agencies. The task force, which consists of investigators from various law enforcement agencies, was formed to independently lead criminal investigations involving member agencies during critical incidents.

The Tucson Police Department Office of Professional Standards will conduct a separate administrative investigation to review the actions of their personnel. All findings will eventually be presented to the Pima County Attorney's Office.