Phoenix Officer Who Shot Homeowner Didn't Violate Policy, Police Board Says

Phoenix police officer Brian Lilly did not break any department rules in the shooting of homeowner Tony Arambula, the Phoenix Use of Force board decided today. Any other decision might have cost the city a lot of money, right away. Arambula, who heroically saved his family from an armed intruder,...

By Ray Stern

September 25, 2009

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Phoenix police officer Brian Lilly did not break any department rules in the shooting of homeowner Tony Arambula, the Phoenix Use of Force board decided today.

Any other decision might have cost the city a lot of money, right away.

Arambula, who heroically saved his family from an armed intruder, is seeking at least $5.75 million for being shot six times last year by Lilly. It's amazing that he lived at all, but doctors say he'll face a lifetime of pain from his injuries.

According to the Arizona Republic, some officers on the board "said the shooting was difficult to avoid, considering the fluidity of the emergency scene."

Arambula had his handgun trained on the intruder when he was shot, so it's a given that Lilly shot the wrong person. Under certain circumstances, according to the review board, such an error is allowed by department policy.

Whether a jury agrees -- if the lawsuit gets that far -- is another question.

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Ray Stern is the former news editor of Phoenix New Times. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Arizona for more than two decades. He's won numerous awards for his reporting, including the Arizona Press Club's Don Bolles Award for Investigative Journalism.