MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — Maricopa County has agreed to pay $1.7 million to resolve a claim accusing the sheriff's office of unsafely executing a search warrant that ended with a woman getting shot.
Theresse Danielle Federico was shot by an MCSO investigator while she was standing inside a Paradise Valley home on the night of June 24, 2021. The 66-year-old woman could be seen holding a handgun before a detective fired a shot.
Investigators were at the home to execute a search warrant granted in relation to a theft investigation. MCSO said in 2021 investigators had attempted to make contact with Federico "peacefully" at the residence.
But Federico's attorneys argue MCSO did not make an effort to properly announce themselves and chose to execute the warrant at night when the woman was home alone.
In paperwork served to the county, Federico's attorneys claim she feared for her life when she heard an unexpected knock at a side door to the residence and only picked up a firearm to protect herself.
"The detectives created an unreasonably unsafe situation where she was rightfully concerned for her safety after hearing the knock at the side door and did not afford her a reasonable opportunity to identify the detectives as credible law enforcement officers," the claim states.
Body-camera footage released by MCSO shows Federico appearing in the kitchen shortly after the detective knocks. The investigators can be heard yelling at her to drop the weapon before a gunshot is fired.
The woman survived the gunshot wound but her attorneys claim she's incurred substantial medical costs.
Federico's attorneys said the MCSO was investigating property allegedly stolen from a man she had a long-standing relationship. Federico claims she relocated the man's property into safe deposit boxes after consulting with the man's attorney, according to the notice of claim.
No criminal charges filed against Federico involving the theft investigation could be found in Maricopa County's databases.
On Wednesday, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors approved paying $1.75 million to Federico to resolve her claim.
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