A man wanted in connection with a domestic violence case was shot early Monday by a Marana police officer after a confrontation and died at the hospital.
The incident started about 3 a.m. when Marana police got a call from the Pima County Sheriff's Department seeking help in locating a man they say was involved in a domestic aggravated assault involving a gun, said Sgt. Jose Alvarez, a Marana police spokesman.
The man, later identified by police as 56-year-old Daniel Lawrence Caldwell, reportedly fired his handgun while arguing with his girlfriend.
The sheriff's department told Marana police Caldwell might have rented a room at the Super 8 at 8351 N. Cracker Barrel Road, which Marana officers confirmed. The officers located the man's vehicle at the parking lot of nearby Cracker Barrel restaurant, near Interstate 10 and North Cortaro Road.
Officer Cesar Nelson, a 6-year veteran with Marana police, waited near the vehicle. Video footage showed that the man walked up behind Nelson's patrol vehicle with a gun in his right hand, Alvarez said.Β
Investigation revealed that as the officer got out his patrol vehicle and made contact with the man, the man was "in the process of raising the gun," according to Alvarez.
The officer fired at Caldwell, but it was not known Monday morning if there was an exchange of gunfire. Two additional Marana officers arrived on scene and performed CPR. The wounded man was taken to the University of Arizona Medical Center, where he later died.Β
Nelson was put on paid administrative leave, as is the standard following any officer-involved shooting. He was not injured in the confrontation.
