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An armed man shot and killed by police officers during a domestic violence call on Tucson's west side earlier this month has been identified, authorities said.
The Pima Regional Critical Incident Team said in a news release Thursday that on Feb. 2, around 8:15 p.m., police responded to a home in the 300 block of North Silverbell Road after receiving a report of a shooting.
Neighbors told police that the man and woman were arguing when the man began firing a rifle into the air. Gunshots could still be heard when the first officers arrived, the release said.
The woman and child were removed from the property, police officers began evacuating neighbors and SWAT personnel “contained the residence,” while the man remained inside, the statement said.
As the evacuation continued and before hostage negotiators arrived on the scene, Fabian Garcia, 23, opened the front door with a rifle in hand. He refused orders to quell it, according to the release.
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Officers opened fire when Garcia came outside with a rifle, according to the release. He died at the scene.
The officers who fired their weapons were: Chad Barker, a nine-year veteran of TPD; Devin Estes, a 12-year veteran of TPD. Joseph Buck, an 11-year veteran of TPD. and Kyle Walker, an eight-year veteran of TPD.
The multi-agency Pima Regional Major Incident Team is in charge of the criminal investigation, with the Pima County Sheriff's Department and Oro Valley Police Department assigned primary responsibility.
The Tucson Police Department is conducting a separate administrative investigation to determine whether department policy was violated.
The findings will be submitted to the Pima County Prosecutor's Office once the investigation is complete, which is standard practice.
