Tucson Police Shoot Man Dead After He Pointed Gun At Cop's Dog

Authorities in Tucson, Arizona, were caught on camera fatally shooting a man who pointed a gun at an officer and a police dog during an arrest attempt last month.

Members of the Tucson Police Department's (TPD) Special Weapons and Tactics team approached Francisco Javier Galarza outside a Circle K along South Park Avenue on Aug. 25, the force's K-9 unit said in a video.

Officers identified themselves and instructed Galarza to get down on the ground, but the 49-year-old did not follow the requests and attempted to flee.

"Get down! Get down!" officers shouted at Galarza, body-worn camera footage of the encounter included in the TPD's video showed.

During the chase, a police dog named Kiro brought Galarza to the ground.

Galarza pointed a gun at Kiro and an officer while lying on his back, which prompted officers Ernest Ortiz and Barrie Pederson to discharge their weapons at him, footage showed.

Officers provided medical attention to Galarza using first aid kids until the Tucson Fire Department arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the TPD.

No officers or bystanders were injured, KOLD News 13 reported.

Galarza's gun, identified as a Taurus G3 9mm semi-automatic pistol, was recovered with ammunition in the magazine and one round loaded in the chamber.

The Pima Regional Critical Incident Team is investigating the fatal shooting, which will be presented to the Pima County Attorney's Office for review upon completion, police said.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department and the Marana Police Department have been assigned primary responsibility for the criminal investigation.

The TPD's Office of Professional Standards will conduct a separate and parallel administrative investigation to examine the officers' actions.

It was unclear if Ortiz and Pederson were penalized over the incident.

Pederson, Kiro's partner, is a 17-year veteran of the TPD, while Ortiz has served in the force for 15 years.

Galarza was sentenced to three years in prison in 1992. He was convicted of drug possession in 1994 and sentenced to another four years.

In 2000, Galarza received a 1.5-year sentence for a vehicle theft conviction. He was sentenced to 11 years in 2001 after being convicted on six counts of armed robbery.

Galarza was convicted of armed robbery again in 2011 and sentenced to 7.5 years.