Bodycam footage depicts Tucson police shooting man experiencing mental health crisis
The Pima County Regional Incident Team released edited snippets of body-camera footage on Thursday depicting a Tucson police shooting that occurred on Feb. 14.
According to a critical incident briefing the agency shared, Tucson officers responded to the area of Kolb Road and 29th Street after receiving a 911 call from a mental health professional at around 1:31 a.m. who was on the phone with a man threatening to kill himself.
The mental health professional had been on the phone with the man for about 30 minutes before contacting police and had learned the person on the other line was armed and heard what sounded like a gunshot.
Officers arrived at the area and found a man walking around with a firearm. The briefing stated that a Tucson police sergeant with “advanced training in crisis intervention and hostage negotiations” was able to call the man on his cell phone to attempt to de-escalate.
The sergeant called him multiple times over the span of 15 minutes, ordering the man to put down the firearm and remain still. The briefing stated the man ignored her orders and began moving south.
Multiple vehicles had passed by the man, who was moving toward a neighborhood, when another officer west of him shot him once with a rifle. The briefing states officers immediately rendered first-aid to the man, who was later transported to a hospital with not life-threatening injuries.
Body-camera footage shows at least one officer firing a gun at an individual who is blurred out. An officer can be heard saying “OK he’s down. Gun’s down,” before informing a sergeant that the man was separated from the gun and that they need to render aid.
Footage shows multiple officers approach the man, later identified as 29-year-old Jacques Taylor, and retrieved a handgun and bullet-shell casing which investigators believe was from the gunshot the mental-health professional heard on the phone.
The briefing did not specify whether Taylor was booked into jail or whether he will face any criminal charges.
The briefing identified the officer who fired his rifle as Barrie Pederson, an 18-year veteran with the department.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the Oro Valley Police Department are conducting the criminal investigation into the shooting while the Tucson Police Department is conducting the administrative investigation to see if the shooting violated department policy.
Services for Arizonans in crisis include:
Dial 2-1-1 to reach 211 Arizona.
Solari Crisis & Human Services offers a free, statewide crisis line 24/7/365 – dial 844-534-HOPE (4673). Help is also available 24/7/365 via text by texting “hope” to 4HOPE (4673).
Dial 988 to reach the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Help is available in English and Spanish. It's free and confidential for those in distress who need prevention or crisis resources for themselves or loved ones.
La Frontera Empact Suicide Prevention Center's crisis line serves Maricopa and Pinal counties 24/7 at 480-784-1500.
Teen Lifeline 24/7 crisis line serves teens at 602-248-8336 for Maricopa County and 1-800-248-8336 statewide.
The Trevor Project Lifeline serves LGBTQ youth at 866-488-7386.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Bodycam footage shows Tucson police shooting man in crisis
