Crime & Justice

Cop Who Fatally Shot Man in Wheelchair Nine Times From Behind Is Fired

‘DEEPLY DISTURBED’

The officer reportedly pursued the man after a Walmart employee told him a toolbox was stolen.

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Tucson Police Department

A police officer in Tucson, Arizona, has been fired after he allegedly shot a man in a wheelchair nine times in his back and side, killing him. Officer Ryan Remington unloaded his weapon at Richard Lee Richards, 61, on Monday evening after an alleged theft at a Walmart store. According to Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus, Remington was on a “special duty assignment, basically a security detail” at the store when an employee informed him that a man in a wheelchair had stolen a toolbox. Remington pursued Richards and asked for a receipt. Richards reportedly said, “Here’s my receipt,” only to pull out a knife and keep moving away from the officer. Remington is said to have told Richards to drop the knife and stop moving, and fatally shot the man when he refused to comply. Magnus said he was “deeply disturbed and troubled” by Remington’s actions when confirming his termination Tuesday. Attorney Mike Storie, who is representing Remington, claimed his client “had no non-lethal options.”

Read it at AP

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