A man who was shot and wounded by Tucson police officers Tuesday had brandished a BB gun when officers attempted to talk to him, investigators later learned.
Carlos Alegria, 41, is in stable condition at a hospital. Once he is released, Alegria will be booked into the Pima County jail on suspicion of aggravated assault charges, said Sgt. Pete Dugan, a Tucson Police Department spokesman, on Wednesday night.
On Tuesday at about 9:30 a.m., four officers responded to a 911 call about a man with a knife who was threatening construction workers in the 5600 block of East Pima Street, Dugan said. The midtown neighborhood is near North Craycroft Road.
Officers found the man walking down the street with a knife in his hand. Police approached him and attempted to talk with him when he pulled out what appeared to be a handgun, Dugan said.
Moments later shots were fired and the man was struck multiple times. The two officers who fired their weapons were Mark Molina, a 19-year veteran of the department, and Gary Rosebeck, an eight-year veteran, Dugan said.
No officers were injured during the incident.
After the shooting, officers gave first aid to the wounded man before Tucson Fire Department paramedics arrived and transported him to the hospital.
During the investigation, one witness told police the suspect was holding a knife as police responded. Another witness saw him pull out a gun as officers were speaking to him, said Dugan.
Detectives from the violent crimes section were conducting a criminal investigation into the shooting.
An administrative investigation is being conducted by the Office of Professional Standards, formerly internal affairs, to see whether officers followed departmental rules and procedures. This is standard protocol in all shootings involving officers.
