A 15-year-old boy carrying a toy gun has been identified as the person who was fatally shot during a long standoff with police earlier this month on Tucson's south side, authorities say.
The incident started about 7:30 p.m. April 6, when two people forced their way into a closed business in the 2500 block of North Campbell Avenue, assaulted a female worker and stole money and keys to her vehicle. She told police the intruders, described as "younger adult males," were armed and fled in the stolen car, said a news release from the Pima Regional Critical Incident Team, the multi-agency group that investigates local police shootings.
Later an officer spotted the stolen vehicle in the 100 block of West Ajo Way, but the driver fled before the vehicle could be stopped. The occupants then rain into a nearby house in the 3700 block of South Lundy Avenue, the release said.
Soon a woman then called police and told them at her security camera showed two intruders in the house where her 8-year-old child was alone.
Police were able to evacuate the child and one of the intruders surrendered.
The second intruder, however, refused to leave the house and refused to leave the house, the release said.
The SWAT team and police hostage negotiators tried for hours to get the person to come out of the house.
Once outside, the intruder "raised an object at the officers." That prompted two officers to fire their weapons, striking the intruder. A police dog and a less-than-lethal "projectile" also was used in the arrest, the release said.
The boy, later identified as Joannie Jose Armenta, died later at the hospital. Investigators later determined that Armenta had wrapped a toy gun in cloth to
simulate a handgun, the release said.
The two TPD SWAT officers who discharged their department-issued firearms in the incident were: Joseph Jensen, a 14-year veteran of the department; and Daniel Lee, a 13-year
veteran of the department, the release said.
The boy who surrendered, Mario Aydin Muruato, 14, was taken to the Pima County Juvenile Detention Center. He faces multiple charges, including first degree murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, kidnapping and car theft, the release said.
The PRCIT is handling the criminal investigation, with the Pima County Sheriff's Department being named the lead agency. Findings from the probe will be presented to the Pima County Attorney's Office.
Tucson police is conducting a separate internal investigation, which is standard procedure.
