A man who was shot and killed by a Tucson police officer last month on the cityβs east side was seen stealing sunglasses and shooting at officers, video footage shows.
On April 3 just after 11 a.m., police received a 911 call about an armed robbery at a Best Buy, 6025 E. Broadway. The Best Buy employee was able to give a suspect description along with the items taken from the store.
Store surveillance footage shows Joshua King, 32, taking a pair of sunglasses and leaving without paying, removing a handgun from his waistband and holding it at his side.
At 11:45 a.m., a Sun Tran driver called officers after seeing a man who matched Kingβs description walking toward the 7400 block of East Broadway. Officer Richard Valentine, a one-year veteran of TPD, was first to arrive on scene and make contact with King.
Valentine exited his vehicle and gave commands to King, who refused to stop and drop his weapon, resulting in Valentine firing shots at him, footage shows.
Sgt. Armando Olivas, a 19-year veteran of TPD, also arrived on scene and fired his weapon as King shot in the direction of both officers.
King then fled behind a nearby business, firing at least one round at a mother and daughter in a car, police said. They were not injured.
He eventually ran behind a CVS, at 7499 E. Broadway, as Officer Antonio Apocada, an eight-year veteran of TPD, arrived. After being shot at by King, Apocada fired one round with his rifle, striking King.
Officers rendered aid to King until Tucson Fire personnel took him to a hospital. King was later pronounced dead. No other individuals were injured in the incident, police said.
As part of the Pima Regional Critical Incident Team, the Pima County Sheriffβs Department has been assigned the criminal investigation of this police shooting. TPD office of professional standards will conduct a separate, but parallel, administrative investigation to examine the actions of the officers.
WARNING: Graphic content.Β A man was fatally shot by a Tucson Police officer on April 3 after he stole from an east-side Best Buy and fled down East Broadway, shooting at officers and bystanders along the way. Video courtesy of the Tucson Police Department.
