TUCSON, Ariz. — Editor's Note: The above video is from an earlier broadcast.
A former Tucson officer who allegedly shot and killed a man in a motorized wheelchair last November has been indicted for one count of manslaughter.
On November 2021, Richard Lee Richards was allegedly caught shoplifting at the Walmart at the Midvale Park Shopping Center. According to Tucson Police Department, Richards pulled out a knife on an employee while fleeing the store.
RELATED: TPD officer accused of shooting, killing man in wheelchair officially fired from department
After a brief police pursuit, former TPD Officer Ryan Remington shot Richards nine times as he was attempting to enter a nearby Lowe's.
According to TPD, Chief Chad Kasmar officially terminated Remington from his position at the department following an internal administrative investigation in January. Remington had worked for the department since January 2017.
On December 2021, the Pima County Attorney's Office released its findings after reviewing the bodycam footage and other evidence obtained in reference to the incident.
"The video is jarring. And, the video represents but a fraction of the evidence we must evaluate to determine if criminal charges are warranted in this incident. Charging decisions, especially involving incidents in which a loss of life has occurred, are not made in this Office based on emotion," Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said on Dec. 10, 2021. "They are based on a deliberative review of all the facts and all the evidence at hand. It is our obligation, my obligation, to get these decisions right, not rushed, while strictly ensuring the rights of the accused as embodied in our Constitution and laws."
Pima County Attorney Laura Conover is expected to hold a news conference at 3 p.m. Thursday regarding the shooting.
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