Cop Fired After Shooting Man In Wheelchair Nine Times, Violated Department Policy

A police officer was dismissed from the Tucson Police Department after shooting a suspected shoplifter at the Midvale Park Shopping Center on Monday, Nov. 29, night.

The ex-cop was identified as Ryan Remington who is facing charges for the shooting of Richard Lee Richards as the latter was about to enter a home improvement store.

Before the shooting incident, the deceased was already reportedly involved in a prior incident. He was suspected of stealing a toolbox from Walmart in Tucson.

An employee from the Walmart loss prevention department followed the 61-year-old outside. He asked Richards for a receipt and the old man allegedly pulled out a knife and said that the blade was his receipt.

The incident was immediately reported to the police and it appears that was where the two responding officers got into the picture.

Initially, Remington told the man to stop and not go into the store. The 61-year-old ignored the order and proceeded. After that, Remington reportedly fired nine shots in the back and side at close range.

Richards slumps forward and falls out of his motorized wheelchair just in front of the store entrance. A video of the whole incident was captured by the body camera worn by the other officer named Stephanie Taylor.

"[Remington's] use of deadly force in this incident is a clear violation of department policy and directly contradicts multiple aspects of our use of force and training," Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus said in a report from the Associated Press.

Mangus was also disturbed by the actions of Remington and pointed out that this was in clear violation of department policy.

Also, Remington had a taser he could have used instead of firing shots. But according to Tucson attorney Mike Storie stressed that the officer did not have the proper spread to use it.

“He did have a taser, but in his mind, he couldn’t use it because he didn’t feel he had the proper spread to deploy it, with the wheelchair between him and Richards,” Storie quipped.

Remington served the Tucson Police Department for four years and was on a “special duty assignment, basically a security detail” in the area at the time of the shooting.