Two Tucson police officers serving an arrest warrant for a man wanted in an aggravated assault were shot Thursday morning at an apartment complex on the south side.
The man officers were trying to arrest, Jose N. Barron Gomez, 27, was fatally shot by police during the exchange of gunfire inside an apartment, said Sgt. Pete Dugan, a Tucson Police Department spokesman.
Gomez was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officer Jorge Tequida was shot in the shoulder, and the bullet went through his arm and into his chest, said Dugan.
He was taken to Banner-University Medical Center and underwent surgery.
Police Chief Chris Magnus said Tequida was in critical but stable condition.
He was being monitored in the intensive-care unit. Tequida was hired by the department nearly four years ago.
Officer Doug Wilfert was shot in the lower leg and was also treated at Banner. He was released from the hospital Thursday afternoon. Wilfert has worked for the department seven years.
Dugan said both officers were wearing bulletproof vests, and neither had a body camera.
The shooting happened shortly before 7 a.m. at the Campbell Terrace Apartments, 4750 S. Campbell Ave., near Irvington Road.
Campbell was closed to traffic from Irvington to East Benson Highway late into the night, while police processed the scene and interviewed witnesses.
Magnus, speaking to reporters outside the hospital, said the shooting occurred inside an apartment where the officers were serving an arrest warrant for felony aggravated assault with a dangerous instrument.
Police are still looking into the dead man’s criminal history, he said.
These are the second and third Tucson police officers shot in the line of duty since late October.
On Oct. 24, Officer Robert Miranda was shot by a man on the south side. The officer suffered a graze wound to his head. The gunman was shot and wounded.
“This is way too many, and it’s very scary,” Magnus said.
“We live in a climate where there are some dangerous individuals out there willing to shoot police officers over arrest warrants.”
Community members poured into the nearby Donut Wheel bakery owned by Sam Phetdara on Thursday to purchase doughnuts and coffee for officers at the scene.
The Fry’s grocery store across the street, 2001 E. Irvington Road, also delivered sandwiches, water, chips and fruit.
