A man accused of shooting a federal agent in southeast Tucson last week has been identified.
Jerardo Jay Rosales, 39, of Tucson, was arrested Wednesday and is charged in a two-count complaint of suspicion of assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon, as well as prohibited possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The federal agent, who was an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agent on special assignment with the U.S. Marshal, was shot about 7:45 p.m. in a drive-by shooting on Oct. 17 in the parking lot of a convenience store near East 29th Street and South Columbus Boulevard.
Security video shows a dark four-door sedan driving through the parking lot before it stops, and several gunshots can be heard. On Oct. 20, officers located a vehicle that matched the description, a Hyundai Sonata, in a parking lot of an apartment complex across the street from where the shooting occurred. The car was registered to Rosales, a court complaint says.
The complaint says that while agents were “observing the Sonata, Rosales approached the agents and began speaking with them.”
Rosales allegedly indicated to agents that he served 10 years in prison “but was allowed to have guns,” according to the complaint. When agents located a gun box “in plain view” on the rear floorboard, Rosales told them the gun was in his residence.
“An NCIC criminal history query indicated that Rosales was convicted of escape from custody, and a review of ROSALES’ criminal history showed that he served a 10-year prison sentence for the aforementioned felony conviction with no indication that Rosales had his right to possess firearms restored,” the complaint says.
During a search of his apartment, agents say they found a “SCCY 9mm pistol” and 20 rounds of .223 ammunition. Tucson police laboratory personnel say the projectiles recovered from the federal agent’s vehicle were fired from the pistol recovered in the apartment.
If convicted on the assault charge, Rosales could face up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and up to three years of supervised release. A prohibited possession charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years, a $250,000 fine and up to three years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office here says.
