Man Shot Dead By Cops After Pointing Gun At Police Dog's Head

A man was reportedly shot dead by police officers after he allegedly pointed a handgun at a police dog’s head in Tucson, Arizona.

Authorities from the Tucson Police department recently released bodycam footage of a police shooting at a Circle K on Aug. 25 that killed 49-year-old Francisco Javier Galarza. On Aug. 25, the 49-year-old, who was wanted on a felony arrest warrant for home invasion and bank robbery, was spotted entering a convenience store just before noon, New York Post reported.

Seeing him enter the store, the officers waited for Galarza outside. When he came out of the store at 11:51 a.m, the officers confronted him and told him to get down on the ground so that they could arrest him. However, Galarza tried to flee and removed a black handgun out of a bag that he was carrying.

“Police! Get down!” Officers can be heard telling Galarza several times in the video as he runs to flee from the officers.

Since Galarza tried to run away, officer Barrie Pedersen released his police dog, Kiro, to apprehend Galarza. After Kiro chased behind Galarza and brought him to the ground, Galarza can be seen pointing the gun at the officers and Kiro, Azcentral reported.

Seeing Galarza point the gun at them, officers Ernest Ortiz and Pedersen opened fire and shot at him. Following the shooting, the officers provided medical attention to Galarza using first aid kits until Tucson firefighters arrived. However, despite these best efforts to save him, Galarza succumbed to his gunshot injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Multiple agencies are reviewing the bodycam footage released by Tucson police to determine whether the deadly use of force was warranted in the case. The Pima County Sheriff's Department and Marana Police Department are conducting a criminal investigation in connection with the incident. Meanwhile, the TPD Office of Professional Standards will conduct a separate, parallel investigation.

After the investigation is complete, the details will present to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for review.

Galarza reportedly has a lengthy criminal history record in Pima County. He was sentenced to three years in prison in 1992. Barely two years later, he was convicted of drug possession and was again sentenced to four years.

After the four-year prison sentence, in 2000, Galarza was convicted of vehicle theft. He was also convicted on six counts of robbery armed and armed robbery and received an 11-year prison sentence. After serving the prison sentence, he was convicted of armed robbery again and sentenced to another 7.5 years.