Ft. Lowell Park Officer-Involved Shooting Under Investigation

TUCSON, AZ — Questions remain about an officer-involved shooting of a man Wednesday morning at Tucson’s Fort Lowell Park. The incident occurred around 11 a.m., when officers had just finished responding to a call nearby. At the park, officers happened to observe suspicious behavior of an adult male and female. After the male left the scene on a bicycle, officers started speaking with the female. The man then pedaled back to the female and officers and dismounted his bike.

Before police could speak to the man, he brought out a knife and spoke of suicide as he approached the officers on foot. Officers commanded the man several times to drop his weapon. The suspect declined and walked quickly toward Officer Alberto Olivares, a TPD veteran of 24 years, who fired a Taser at the man. But instead of dropping to the ground, the suspect began running at Olivares, who fired his gun and struck the suspect “within feet of where the officer was standing,” said Pete Dugan, TPD sergeant and PIO. Police immediately started using their first-aid kits to administer to the man, who was then transported to an area hospital by the Tucson Fire Department. The suspect remains at the hospital, receiving treatment for serious injuries. No police were injured.

Questions remain about the incident, including the suspect’s identity, the nature of the relationship between the man and the woman, what they were doing in the park, and why did the man threaten suicide, then charge at an officer? The Tucson Police Violent Crimes Unit will conduct the criminal side of the investigation, during which TPD’s Office of Professional Standards Unit will undertake an independent internal investigation of police actions in the incident. Such investigations are standard protocol for officer-involved shooting incidents.

Anyone who can provide information on this incident should call 88-CRIME. Callers can stay anonymous.