The murder of Chandler Detective Carlos Ledesma wasn't the result of a legit drug-deal-gone-wrong as was previously thought. Rather, an ambush planned by the alleged killers to rip off Ledesma and other undercover officers for the 500 pounds of weed they brought to the buy.
At the time of the shootout, authorities we spoke to suspected the murder was the result of a planned robbery and not some discrepancy that occurred during the buy, and today they are saying the suspected killers never even had the cash needed to buy the drugs.
In the days leading up to the deal, Chandler officers had a confidential
informant meet two of the suspected killers in a Burger King parking
lot, where the men showed the informant what they said was $250,000 --
the amount requested for the 500 pounds of weed.
In reality, cops
now say, the men showed the informant "dummy rolls" -- rolls of cash
with big bills on top and singles in the middle.
The suspects actually only had about $1,000.
When
undercover officers went to make the deal, they never had a chance --
the men started shooting before officers even knew something was wrong.
At
the end of the shootout, Ledesma was dead and two other officers were
injured. Two of the suspects were also killed in the exchange, and one
was injured.
The suspects, Thadika Singleton, 38, John Webber, 37, Doarnell Jackson,
35, Jerry Wayne Cockhearn, 25, and Eldridge Gittens, 34, each has been
charged with first-degree murder, as well as several other crimes
including attempted armed robbery and conspiracy to sell marijuana.
