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Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said Manuel Orosco Longoria, a 40-year-old Mesa resident, was shot and killed on January 14 after apparently reaching for a gun.
Video of the incident belies Babeu’s statement — Longoria had his arms straight up in the air at the moment he was shot.
According to the account of events released by the Sheriff’s Office on the day of the shooting, Longoria had stolen a car in Casa Grande and was spotted around Eloy.
“Stop Sticks were used as they attempted to try to stop the vehicle to end the pursuit,” according to the PCSO’s account. “During the pursuit, the suspect rammed a patrol vehicle while attempting to get away. Information was provided that the driver of the vehicle was armed and he said he ‘wouldn’t be taken alive.'”
The pursuit lasted about 40 minutes, until Longoria crashed into another patrol car and got out of his car, according to the PCSO.
Here’s what happened next:
Before that video was released, here’s how Babeu explained events in a statement he released the day of the shooting:
“Officers and deputies attempted to use less-lethal means to take him into custody including firing several beanbag rounds and Taser deployments. The suspect refused to obey commands and suddenly reached back into the vehicle. A deputy felt the suspect was reaching for the gun he reportedly had, so he then fired two rounds from his department issued patrol rifle.”
The above video, which a witness handed over to KPHO some time last week, shows something fairly different from what Babeu described.
According to a Sheriff’s Office statement, “The deputy involved in the shooting is assigned to our patrol division and is a 5 1/2 year veteran and has been recognized numerous times for exemplary performance and heroism.”
New Times has asked that the PCSO identify the deputy. We’ll update this post when we get it.
UPDATE 8:23 a.m.: PCSO spokesman Tim Gaffney’s response to our request: “No.”
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Follow Matthew Hendley on Twitter at @MatthewHendley.
