Teen Killed By Pima Deputy Had History Of Mental Health Issues: PRCIT

PIMA COUNTY — The teen shot and killed by a Pima County Sheriff's Deputy on March 12, after the teen was suspected of making death threats in 911 calls and repeatedly stabbing the deputy, had a history of mental health issues, according to the Pima Regional Critical Incident Team.

Zakareya Ibrahim, 17, was pronounced dead at the scene in the 3900 block of South Rocky Peak Court in Marana that evening, after two deputies shot him several times, according to the team.

The Critical Incident Team released a video Friday afternoon detailing the shooting and what led up to it, including video surveillance footage from a neighbor's house that shows part of the shooting. The video may be upsetting to some viewers.

The video also includes some of the audio from Ibrahim's 911 calls before his death, in which he repeatedly curses at the dispatcher and makes general death threats, but won't clarify who he wants to kill.

At one point he says, "You don't understand. You don't get it," and "I'm thirsty for blood, you feel me?"

He also tells the dispatcher that he's armed with scissors, the weapon he was later suspected of using to stab the first deputy on scene that night. Deputy Eduardo Toral was hospitalized for severe injuries to his spinal cord, face and shoulder from the stabbing. He has since been released.

After the 911 calls, deputies contacted Ibrahim's father, who did not know that his son had been making the threatening calls to 911, according to the Critical Incident Team.

The footage from the neighbor's surveillance camera comes at the 4:57 mark of the video released on Friday.

A Sheriff's Department SUV pulls up, someone who police said is Ibrahim can been seen throwing rocks, walking toward the SUV and waving a hand.

The deputy yells, "Hey let me see your hands" and "What is that?" and "Get away now."

Then four shots ring out, but both Ibrahim and Toral are blocked from camera view by the SUV.

A second deputy, Taylor Dunn, then runs into camera view, toward the SUV, and fires more shots at the teen as the first deputy and the teen come into view behind the SUV. It's unclear from the video, but the Critical Incident Team said that the deputy was on the ground and the teen was standing near him. The team also accused Ibrahim of continuing to stab Toral even as he was being shot.

In all 10 shots can be heard in the audio.

The Pima County Regional Critical Incident Team is handling the criminal investigation of the shooting, with the Tucson Police Department taking the lead. Once the investigation has finished, the case will be forwarded to the Pima County Attorney's Office, which will decide whether any criminal charges should be filed.

The recently created Critical Incident Team includes investigators from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, Tucson Police Department, Oro Valley Police Department, Marana Police Department, Pasqua Yaqui Police Department, Sahuarita Police Department, University of Arizona Police Department, Pima Community College Police Department and South Tucson Police Department. The purpose of the team is to ensure that local law enforcement organizations involved in shootings are not responsible for investigating themselves.