Norman, gotta agree with you on the source. But here's a little more recent news from a local station. It's not looking good. Seems that a neighbor is corroborating the widow's story. Be sure to check out the video on the link too.
I dunno what the answer is. I can't fault a cop for shooting a man who is pointing a rifle at him. But why do they have to breach the door in 15 seconds? It's not like they are going anywhere. Sounds like to me that they are fully aware of the home invasions there. Lots of questions for sure.
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I dunno what the answer is. I can't fault a cop for shooting a man who is pointing a rifle at him. But why do they have to breach the door in 15 seconds? It's not like they are going anywhere. Sounds like to me that they are fully aware of the home invasions there. Lots of questions for sure.
TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN9-TV) - A decorated Marine's family cannot believe their loved one, who served two tours of duty overseas, is gone; never expecting him to die here at home at the hands of law enforcement.
A Pima County Sheriff's Department SWAT team shot and killed Jose Guerena eight days ago; it was executing a search warrant. Four days ago, in a news conference, a sheriff's deputy said the department makes it clear when SWAT is about to enter a home. Lt. Michael O'Connor says SWAT says it never wants to be mistaken for other people, "We had our large armored vehicle there with the markings on it. It also has lights and sirens. It was going. So we do everything we can to try to portray the image that we're law enforcement, we're not home invaders."
But, Guerena's wife, Vanessa, who hid in the closet with her youngest son while 71 rounds were fired her husband's direction, said she heard nothing. At any point did you hear them yell, police" or SWAT'?" KGUN9 asked. "No, no!" answered Guerena.
A neighbor who heard the shooting corroborates the wife's account, "The only sirens I heard out here were like maybe 20-30 minutes into the entire ordeal," said David Watson.
Watson is very familiar with gunfire and stressful situations; he's a Vietnam combat veteran, "I want to make this as clear as possible: you only heard the announcements after you heard the gunfire?" asked KGUN9 reporter Joel Waldman. Watson quickly answered, "Yes!"
Raising questions about this assertion: "This was not a "no knock" warrant. We come in very high profile with lights and sirens. We go to the door. We pound on the door. We wait 15 seconds, and, then, we breach the door with a heavy tool and open the door," explained O'Connor.
Today, KGUN9 also learned SWAT Guerena's neighbor's house. "When I came home, the whole house was searched. All the doors were open. And, (our house) was searched through; it was like an invasion of privacy," said Carissa Franco.
SWAT says it was concerned about a hole in the Franco's home, worried someone else could've been wounded. So, it said it did what they needed to get inside.
Pima County released a statement about that breach, saying in part, "The Regional SWAT Team made entry into two additional residences very soon after the deadly force encounter. This was done in order to ensure that there were no injured persons in those residences as a result of the shooting. These entries were made without warrants due to the exigency of the circumstances. No one was home at either residence when entry was made.
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