State Detectives Involved in Shooting in Tucson

The following is preliminary information and may change as the investigation unfolds.

At 7:41 p.m., two of our detectives attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a passenger vehicle in Tucson east of South Craycroft Road and East Speedway Boulevard, for reckless driving [a criminal traffic violation] and failure to obey a traffic control device [a civil traffic violation].

The driver of that vehicle failed to yield and eventually drove into the Summit Hut parking lot at 5251 East Speedway Boulevard.

The vehicle traveled around to the rear of the Summit Hut parking lot in an apparent attempt to evade our detectives.

The driver turned the vehicle around facing our detectives head-on and stopped.

Our detective stopped his patrol vehicle; both detectives then approached the suspect vehicle on foot in order to make contact with the driver for the violations.

The driver accelerated towards our detectives and one of our detectives fired at the driver. 

The vehicle turned abruptly and struck a fence and a spinning tire caused a small fire at the rear of the vehicle.

Tucson Fire Department arrived on scene and extinguished the fire. 

The driver, a black male, 25-30 years old, was pronounced deceased on scene from one or more gunshot wounds.