Court rejects request to disqualify Pima County Attorney's Office from shooting case

A request to disqualify the Pima County Attorney’s Office from a case involving a now former Tucson police officer who shot and killed a man in a motorized wheelchair was denied by a judge.

The court found there was no conflict of interest, and on Oct. 28 denied the motion to disqualify the office and County Attorney Laura Conover, Pima County Superior Court records say. Former police officer Ryan Remington’s attorneys, Mike Storie and Natasha Wrae, had previously filed the motion due to Conover’s brother’s role in the Combined Law Enforcement Agencies of Arizona.

Conover’s brother is a chairman for the law enforcement group and has been a board member for the past five years. According to the motion, Storie and Wrae said the board is directly responsible for approving almost every expense related to Remington’s defense, causing a conflict of interest for Conover.

The court also declined to order sanctions against Conover at this time, court records show.

In the motion to order sanctions against Conover, Storie and Wrae said comments she made at a Democrats of Greater Tucson meeting caused irreparable damage to Remington’s ability to get a fair trial in Pima County.

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The county attorney’s office, including Conover, are put on notice that they need to refrain from any statements or discussion regarding officer involved shootings while this matter is pending or the court will consider sanctions, Judge Danelle Liwski said in the ruling.

Remington was indicted on one count of manslaughter in August following an incident that happened last year at a southside Lowe’s.

On Nov. 29, Remington was working off-duty security at a Walmart store when he fatally shot Richard Lee Richards, 61, nine times, as he tried to enter a nearby Lowe’s store. Richards, who was using a motorized wheelchair at the time, was accused of stealing a toolbox and threatening a Walmart employee prior to the shooting.

Remington was terminated from the department after the shooting.