A 15-year-old gang member suspected in a violent crime shot at officers trying to arrest him, who then returned fire and wounded him late Thursday, Tucson police said.
A police dog was wounded in the exchange of gunfire and is expected to recover. No police officers were hurt in the incident, which is related to a string of violent crimes committed by a 17-year-old gang member, who was shot and killed by an officer a week ago, the police department said Friday.
Elmer Virgen, 15, who was wanted on charges of robbery, aggravated robbery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon from an incident that occurred at a Quik Mart on July 31, was shot on Tucson's southwest-side, said Sgt. Pete Dugan, a spokesman for the Tucson Police Department.
Virgen was a suspected accomplice in the robbery, along with Simon Pancho, 17, who was killed by a police officer on Aug. 26 in a south-side neighborhood. Pancho was shot when he pulled out a semi-automatic handgun when officers attempted to arrest him. There are two other suspects outstanding in the robbery.
Pancho's shooting was captured on officers' body worn cameras and footage was released Thursday.
Virgen, was located at 11 p.m. Thursday by officers, including those assigned to the Special Weapons and Tactics team in the area of South Midvale Park Road and South Headley Road, said Dugan.
When officers attempted to take him into custody, Virgen ran down a residential street and police dog Tango chased him.
During the chase, Virgen pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and fired multiple rounds toward officers, striking Tango. One of the officers returned fire and struck Virgen more than once. Tango continued chasing Virgen and helped capture him in the street, said Dugan.
Officers moved in and treated Virgen before Tucson Fire Department paramedics arrived and transported Virgen to a hospital. He is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, said Dugan. Once released from the hospital, Virgen will face numerous charges, including a parole violation, and be booked into the Pima County jail.
Tango was taken to Valley Animal Hospital for treatment and is expected to recover and return to full duty in a couple of weeks, police said.
Violent crimes unit detectives are conducting a criminal investigation and the Office of Professional Standards is conducting a separate parallel investigation to examine whether officers followed department regulations and procedures. This is standard protocol in all shootings by officers.
