An armed man who was shot and killed by Tucson police officers earlier this month during a domestic violence call on the city’s west side has been identified, officials say.
About 8:15 p.m. Feb 2, police rushed to a residence in the 300 block of North Silverbell Road after reports of gunfire, the Pima Regional Critical Incident Team said Thursday in a news release.
Neighbors told police that a man and woman were arguing when the man started to fire a rifle into the air. Gunshots could still be heard when the first police officers arrived, the release said.
A woman and children were removed from the property and police officers started to evacuate neighbors while SWAT officers “contained the residence,” while the man stayed inside, the release said.
As the evacuations continued and before hostage negotiators got the scene, Fabian Garcia, 23, opened the front door with a rifle in his hand. He refused commands to put it down, the release said.
Officers opened fire when Garcia stepped outside still holding a rifle, the release said. He died at the scene.
The officers who discharged their weapons were: Chad Barker, a 9-year TPD veteran; Devin Estes, a 12-year TPD veteran; Joseph Buck, an 11-year TPD veteran; and Kyle Walker, an 8-year TPD veteran.
The multi-agency Pima Regional Critical Incident Team is handling the criminal investigation, with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and Oro Valley Police Department being assigned primary responsibility.
The Tucson Police Department is conducting a separate administrative investigation to determine is any department policies were violated.
Findings will be presented to the Pima County Attorney’s Office once the investigation is complete, which is standard practice.
