ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Pima Regional Critical Incident Team (PRCIT) is releasing new information on last week's shooting death that involved an Oro Valley police officer.
According to a media release, OVPD officers responded to reports of gunshots near Tohono Chul Park, 7366 N. Paseo Del Norte, on Monday, April 28 just before 7 p.m.
When the first officer arrived, the main gate was closed and locked. According to the release, the officer says he saw a pickup truck with shattered windows near the property's Garden Bistro and, while looking over the area, says 'multiple gunshots' were fired in his direction.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Oro Valley police are investigating an officer-involved shooting
Multiple officers arrived to secure the area shortly after. According to the release, a man with a handgun, identified as 31-year-old Alfred Lopez-Minor, exited the east side of the building and reportedly ignored multiple commands to drop the gun.
At this time, Lopez-Minor is alleged to have "brought his hand together in a manner perceived as an imminent threat," according to the PRCIT press release, at which time officers shot Lopez-Minor, hitting him multiple times.
The release says Lopez-Minor died at the scene despite life-saving measures administered by the OVPD officers. They recovered a semi-automatic handgun near where he fell.
Officers reported finding property damage inside the park that had occurred before the shooting, according to the release.
An investigation after the shooting revealed that Lopez-Minor had been previously employed by Tohono Chul up to December of last year.
The PRCIT release identified the three officers involved in the shooting:
- Officer Manny Guerrero, OVPD 24.5-year veteran
- Officer Kristofer Brandstrom, OVPD 6-year veteran
- Officer Matthew Farmer, OVPD 2.5-year veteran
PRCIT is the primary agency for this investigation. OVPD's Office of Professional Standards will conduct a separate investigation into the officers' actions. All findings from these investigations will be presented to the Pima County Attorney's Office.
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