The actions of two Tucson police officers who shot and killed a man as he reached for two guns in his waistband in May have been deemed justified.
The Pima County Attorney's Office also declined to file any charges against officers Jeffrey Stover and Zachary Currier as it also concluded that the shooting was legally justified, according to documents released by the Tucson Police Department on Wednesday.
Walter Cañez, 48, was shot five times on May 25, as he was walking in the area of Martin Avenue and 34th Street, on Tucson's South Side, the documents state.
The shooting stemmed from a report made by a Circle K security guard who flagged down Currier, a two-year-veteran, about a man who had two guns and was seen pointing one at pedestrians as they walked past him on the west side of South Campbell Avenue near East 34th Street, the report said.
Currier requested additional officers to check the area. He also directed Stover, a 13-year department veteran, to meet him.
The pair walked around the area, looking for the gunman.
A sergeant in the area spotted Cañez talking on a cell phone in an animated fashion but lost sight of him shortly thereafter, the reports state.
When the officers caught up with him, Stover "noted that he appeared to be nervous and was quickly moving and shifting his balance," the report said. As Cañez turned to face the officers, they saw the two guns tucked into the front waistband. They drew their weapons and ordered him to drop his phone and raise his hands.
"He did not comply with the officers' commands and instead bent to place the phone down," the report said. "As he returned to an upright position, he moved his hands toward the guns in his waistband."
Both officers fired at Cañez, striking him several times, the report said. Cañez was pronounced dead at the scene.
Toxicology tests detected metabolites of marijuana and a narcotic painkiller in Cañez's system, the report said.
Stover has been involved in three fatal shootings, including this incident, since September 2005. He was cleared of any wrongdoing in the two earlier shootings as well.
