Jose Guerena shooting
Jose Manuel Guerena Ortiz[1] | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | |
| Died | May 5, 2011 Tucson, Arizona |
Jose Guerena was a former U.S. Marine and Iraq War veteran who was killed in his Tucson, Arizona home, on May 5, 2011, by officers of the Pima County SWAT team, while they were conducting a forced entry search of his home.
Asleep after returning from a 12-hour overnight shift at the Asarco Mission mine, Guerena was awakened about 9:30 AM by his wife who heard noises outside their house. He instructed his wife and 4-year-old son to hide inside a closet while he grabbed his AR-15 rifle and crouched down preparing to defend himself from whoever was breaking into his home. While the Sheriff's Department initially claimed Guerena had fired on officers, they later changed their story to say that once the SWAT team had broken open the front door, one member's negligent discharge put a bullet into the doorway, causing other members of the team to believe that Guerena had shot at them.[2][3] "There were five officers at the door beginning to make entry into this home, when they engaged this individual that they believed was actually firing at them."[4] Other versions of this story claim that officers started shooting as soon as they saw him with his weapon pointed at them. At this point the five person team fired 71 rounds at Guerena in seven seconds, who bled to death after being hit 60 times. An investigation revealed that Jose had not fired a single shot, nor even disengaged the safety on his weapon.
Despite the fact that an ambulance and Lifeline helicopter were on standby during this raid, and Guerena's wife called 911 to report her husband's being shot, they were told to hold back for an hour and a quarter before being finally sent away.[5] Searching the house, the SWAT unit found no drugs.[6]
A computer search revealed Guerena had only traffic tickets and no criminal history.[3] The Pima County Sheriff's department claims that this was not a no-knock search. Video evidence shows that they sounded a siren for 8 seconds, before shouting at the house for about 20 seconds, after which they began breaking it down.[7] Neighbours did not hear the siren.[8] Guerena's widow states that she had no knowledge that the man she saw pointing a gun at her through the window was a police officer, and thought that he was part of a home invasion group. She has stated that two members of her sister-in-law's family were killed previously in a home invasion.[9] As of May 2011, that case, in which Cynthia and Manny Orozco were killed and their 2-year-old daughter seriously injured, remains unsolved.[10]
Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik had a judge seal the search warrants as well as the documents showing what items were seized from the home, and later chastised the press for wanting to know the details of the case.[2][11]
As of May 2011, SWAT team members hired an attorney who stated that the search was looking for persons suspected of involvement in home-invasions related to stealing drugs. Three searches in the same neighborhood, as part of the same investigation, yielded no arrests.[12]
Jose, 26, was a native of Tucson and a graduate of Flowing Wells High School, who joined the Marines in 2002 and served two Iraq tours in 2003 and 2005 with Yuma-based MWSS-371. He is survived by his wife of over eight years, Vanessa, and their two children, ages 4 and 5.
Guerena's widow plans a rally at the house on Memorial Day to protest the killing.[6]
References
- ^ Ex-Marine shot by SWAT has local roots
- ^ a b Fernanda Echavarri (18 May 2011). "Sheriff's Dept. defends SWAT shooting silence". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- ^ a b Fernanda Echavarri (18 May 2011). "Sheriff's Dept. defends SWAT shooting silence". Arizona Daily Star.
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ "Raw video: Sheriff's Office interview on fatal SWAT raid". KGUN9. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- ^ Craig Smith (27 May 2011). "911 tapes back up SWAT account of fatal raid". KGUN9. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- ^ a b Ellen Tumposky (27 May 2011). "Drug SWAT Team That Gunned Down Ex-Marine Found No Drugs". ABC News.
- ^ Forrest Carr (28 May 2011). "Video, info release fails to quell viewer debate over fatal SWAT raid". KGUN9.
- ^ Joel Waldman (23 May 2011). "SWAT entry questioned in Marine's death". KGUN9. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- ^ Ellen Tomposky (20 May 2011). "Tucson SWAT Team Defends Shooting Iraq Vet 60 Times". ABC News. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- ^ "Slaying of couple leaves relatives perplexed". Arizona Daily Star. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|authors=ignored (help) - ^ Forest Carr (20 May 2011). "Viewers' Voice: Sheriff chides media, KGUN9 News responds". KGUN9. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- ^ Fernanda Echavarri (19 May 2011). "Family's lawyer: Authorities trying to discredit man". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
External links
- Memorial page for Jose
- Possible lawsuit in Tucson SWAT shooting Fox 11 Arizona