A police officer in Tucson, Arizona, shot dead a 61-year-old man, suspected of shoplifting, who was traveling in a wheelchair, refused to stop and turned his back on him.
The Tucson Police Chief, who released a video of the tragedy, said the process of firing Officer Ryan Remington has begun. The latter was not on duty when he shot the man on Monday night, but was working as a security guard at the supermarket where the theft allegedly took place.
Police Chief Chris Magnus said he was “very upset” by his subordinate’s actions. “The use of lethal violence during this incident is a clear violation of our service regulations,” he said in a press conference.
The case is being investigated by the prosecutor’s office.
On Monday night, an employee of the Walmart supermarket in Tucson told Officer Ryan Remington that a person in a wheelchair had stolen a toolbox. The clerk said he asked for the receipt from 61-year-old Richard Lee Richards but he pulled out a knife shouting “Here’s your receipt” and headed for the exit.
Remington repeatedly asked Richards to stop and throw the knife, but the man ignored him, walked out of the supermarket and, crossing the parking lot, headed to a hardware store across the street.
According to Magnus, Remington, along with another police officer who arrived at the scene in the meantime, ordered the suspect not to enter the store. When Richards did not stop, he shot him nine times in the back and ribs.
The police’s lawyer, Michael Story, claims that his client tried to de-escalate the situation but the victim’s attitude “left him no choice” than to use his weapon.
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