Tucson Officer's Lawyer Accuses Mayor Of Attempted Trial By Media

TUCSON, AZ — The lawyer representing the Tucson Police officer who shot and killed a man in a motorized scooter Monday has accused Mayor Regina Romero of attempting a "trial by media."

Officer Ryan Remington shot Richard Lee Richards, 61, in the back and side as Richards tried to enter a Lowe's store while armed with a knife Monday evening, according to police. Richards had been accused of stealing a toolbox from Walmart shortly before the shooting.

Tucson Police notified Remington Tuesday of their intent to fire him and Police Chief Chris Magnus said he was troubled and "deeply disturbed" Remington's actions.

Romero called the shooting “unconscionable and indefensible” in a statement.

Mike Storie, attorney for the Tucson Police Officer’s Association, said in a Wednesday press conference broadcast by News 4 Tucson that it was Romero's statements that were "deeply disturbing."

“These kind of statements do nothing but inflame the community, and attempt to bias the people who should be looking at this," Storie said.

The Pima County Attorney's Office is reviewing the shooting and what led up to it, according to Tucson Police. Storie said he had full confidence in the attorney's office.

Storie said that Romero's comment that Remington's actions were indefensible could bias a future jury if criminal charges are brought against Remington.

"The police union is not the most objective arbiter in this matter," Romero said in a tweet on Wednesday. "The video speaks for itself."

Storie added that the video of the shooting and the events that led up to it released by Tucson Police did not show the entire picture of what happened Monday night. He added that Magnus and the mayor had rushed to judgement before they knew all the facts.

Richards was accused of pulling out a knife when Remington and a Walmart employee confronted him after accusing him of stealing a toolbox Monday evening. Remington was off-duty and working security at the Walmart.

Storie said that police did not share with the public all the pertinent details leading up to to shooting, including that Richards is accused of saying they would have to shoot him to get him to give up the knife.

But Magnus did share that detail during a Tuesday press conference about the shooting.

The video that police shared was edited, leaving out a portion that Storie said was important. Storie says the portion of video between the confrontation in the Walmart parking lot and the shooting at Lowe's shows Remington following Richards through the parking lot and across the street to Lowe's while trying to deescalate the situation peacefully by ordering Remington to give up the knife.

Remington had no way of knowing, Storie said, whether Richards was actually physically disabled.

“How does he know this guy can’t jump out of this scooter and all of the sudden charge somebody with this knife?” Storie said.

When Remington fired, at Richards eight times, he was attempting to protect members of the public at the store from what he perceived as a deadly threat, Storie said.

While Storie said that some people might be offended by how many times Remington fired at Richards, "police business is messy sometimes."