Jose Guerena: Arizona Cops Kill Former Marine

[lakhota]

Jose Guerena Killed: Arizona Cops Shoot Former Marine In Botched Pot Raid

On May 5 at around 9:30 a.m., several teams of Pima County, Ariz., police officers from at least four different police agencies armed with SWAT gear and an armored personnel carrier raided at least four homes as part of what at the time was described as an investigation into alleged marijuana trafficking. One of those homes belonged to 26-year-old Jose Guerena and his wife, Vanessa Guerena. The couple's 4-year-old son was also in the house at the time. Their 6-year-old son was at school.

As the SWAT team forced its way into his home, Guerena, a former Marine who served two tours of duty in Iraq, armed himself with his AR-15 rifle and told his wife and son to hide in a closet. As the officers entered, Guerena confronted them from the far end of a long, dark hallway. The police opened fire, releasing more than 70 rounds in about 7 seconds, at least 60 of which struck Guerena. He was pronounced dead a little over an hour later.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department initially claimed (PDF) Guerena fired his weapon at the SWAT team. They now acknowledge that not only did he not fire, the safety on his gun was still activated when he was killed. Guerena had no prior criminal record, and the police found nothing illegal in his home. After ushering out his wife and son, the police refused to allow paramedics to access Guerena for more than hour, leaving the young father to bleed to death, alone, in his own home.

I can now report a number of new details that further call into question the police account of what happened that morning. But first some context:

Much More: www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/25/jose-guerena-arizona-_n_867020.html

[pappyjohn99]

I am surprised that this story hasn't been posted by Krickett. She despises that sheriff Dipstick.

[pappyjohn99]

The more I think about this story, the more pissed I get. I try really hard to respect law enforcement personal. But they shot that guy 70 times. 70 !!!! As a civilian, if you shoot someone for any reason, you need to have serious fear of an ambitious district attorney. If you shoot someone twice, it just about guarantees a attempted murder charge. But if you're, a cop, and you and your cop buddies shoot some poor bastard right in his own home 70 times, you go home to your families like you swatted a fly. Murder charge? Pfffffffft. Your cop peers will rule it justified and you'll get a fine pension someday.

This is seriously f'ed up.

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

Lak- we're kindred spirits on this issue- if nothing else. I'm tired of living in a police state so stupid people won't get high. 100 no-knock raids a day. A DAY! happen just to enforce drug laws. This is a war that is lost, a war not worth the price we are paying, and war that we never should have started. Didn't we learn ANYTHING from Prohibition?

[Deleted]

Yeah, I have been following this. I DETEST my dumbass Sheriff, of Giffords fame, but well known to us as a dumbass before that. This one is murky. There's a lot of this and that, maybe, probably, but I have seen nothing to say these people were involved in something. We have LOTS of Mex Americans here. MANY of them are related by blood or circumstance to illegals and criminals. They stormed this house and blew this guy to pieces, with no clear indication he is involved in anything, except maybe some person seen at their house that is involved in crime. Our scumbag Sheriff has been trying to cover his butt ever since, and still there is nothing firm to excuse what they did to this young man. I sure would notmind seeing him booted out of office, not that he will survive the next election, not after how he handled the Giffords shootings.

[Deleted]

A thing I very much admire about Hispanic people-- they have close family units, and large families. They gather a lot, and hang out with their relatives all the time. Show me any large group of Hispanic people in Tucson and there is going to be a criminal or two in that group. Just the way it is. That does NOT mean anyone else in the family or group is also guilty.

[pappyjohn99]

Let's not forget those fine confiscation laws. If they find something, they can take everything you own, even if you can prove you got it legally. Incentive for abuse.

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

May 26, 2011 13:50:18 GMT -5 deminmaine said:

I'm tired of living in a police state so stupid people won't get high. 100 no-knock raids a day. A DAY! happen just to enforce drug laws. This is a war that is lost, a war not worth the price we are paying, and war that we never should have started. Didn't we learn ANYTHING from Prohibition?


I agree. And think of the money we'd save in those overcrowded prisons.
Not to mention the tax revenue from sales.

And the communities that wouldn't be war zones due to gangs fighting over drug distribution turf.

[Opti]

This is a very sad story. I agree, there are many reasons for legalizing drugs including less innocent dead people, increased tax revenue and increased safety for those who use drugs.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

[Deleted]

[OldCoyote]

There will be a group of people formed made up entirely of law enforcement that will announce that all procedures were followed.
It will be stated that Jose Guerena acted wrong in defending his home, the police acted responsibly.
there will be a lawsuit, millions will be paid by the taxpayer, not the ones whom investigated and executed this action.
As a civilian I am responsible my every action, The police lie, they cover up, we have wide spread corruption, misuse of funds,
civil rights violations. there will be a call for the FBI, DOJ to investigate, nothing will happen, no one will go to jail, maybe someone
will lose their job.
I am sick and tired lack accountability

[Deleted]

Agreed, old coyote. Welcome to our board, and a from a fellow Arizonan.

[handyman2]

I am not defending the police but just reading the post there most likely be more to the issue than printed here.
I have problems with any agency just bursting into a home if that is what actually happened. They have enough numbers to surrond the house and order everyone outside and if they refuse then break in.
The unfortunate marine if the story is accurate should have known better than to point a weapon at the officers especially an AR-15. I wonder if he had a permit for that weapon?
According to the post I can see where lethal mistakes were made on both sides. I feel for the family but I believe there is more to this story than posted here.

[Deleted]

I've read tons of stories on this, living in Tucson, and have yet to see justification for this. The kid should not have come to the door with a gun, but it was proven that his weapon was NOT fired, and the shooting was a bit over the top, IMO. Then they claimed to not know if he was hit, as he lay dying, although blood shows that he was laying in a spot very visible to the door. It's been a while now, and our jerk Sheriff has yet to put any info out there to justify this action by his team. He sure had plenty to say-- all false, after Gabby and all got shot, but on this he says nothing?? No-- that is not Dupnik.
They found nothing in the house, and even if they HAD-- I've been here for 24 years, and I have NEVER seen anything like this before. I know that part of town well. Who knows, maybe they had the wrong house, but this was one guy alone in a house with his wife and kid. Messed up.

[OldCoyote]

Handy, With all the home invasions and kidnapping that goes on in AZ, what makes you think that he knew that it was the police,
He had come home at 6:30 am from work, he was probably asleep, told his wife to get into the closet. I'll assume was in the bedroom.

[b2r]

Supreme Court gives police a new entryway into homes
The Supreme Court, in an 8-1 decision in a Kentucky case, says police officers who loudly knock on a door in search of illegal drugs and then hear sounds suggesting evidence is being destroyed may break down the door and enter without a search warrant.

www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCQQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chicagotribune.com%2Fnews%2Fsc-dc-0517-court-search-20110516%2C0%2C5858981.story&ei=HSXhTaXVC5HQiAKA1YCrBg&usg=AFQjCNG8nwUqrgo_IbGDnakJF_Eu_ngC1g

Ind. court: No right to resist 'unlawful police entry'

The Indiana Supreme Court has ruled that people cannot keep police from entering their homes, even if the entry is "unlawful."

In a 3-2 decision, the court held there are valid reasons for police officers to enter homes without a warrant and without knocking , including concerns for an officer's safety or that a suspect may escape or that evidence may be destroyed.

www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=11&sqi=2&ved=0CGEQFjAK&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chicagobreakingnews.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fchibrknews-ind-court-no-right-to-resist-unlawful-police-entry-20110513%2C0%2C1713312.story&ei=PyjhTcXFFtDPiAKq_qCxBg&usg=AFQjCNEtE8C-Zu9tpWg_hQThcMeVk6rcyg

This is likely to increase in light of recent court rulings.
We're all Bin Laden till proven otherwise.

[OldCoyote]

Two days ago there was a home invasion four blocks from my house, I live in a nice low crime neighborhood. The home invaders
were wearing all black clothing and heavy armed. tell me what the SWAT teams wear? If he was asleep what make he heard
anything but the door being kicked in.
do you think that the bad guys would not yell "POLICE" before kicking in a door?

[handyman2]

Old Coyotee: As I say I am not defending the police but arriving with an armoured personal carrier that is impossible to miss on a residentual streel and agents from four different agencies involved how could they have missed knowing it was a law inforcement group? Plus the police had no way of knowing if that AR-15 was a full auto version or not. If it was a military version then he had to have a class-3 permit or in violation of federal law.
Like I say more to the issue than seems known now.

[OldCoyote]

Handy, Here in AZ, MCSO sheriff joe just used his armored personal carrier with a 50 cal. machine gun attached to raid a chicken house,
THATS RIGHT, A CHICKEN HOUSE. Actor Steven Seagal drove the carrier, Knocking over a wall exposing the chickens.
Sheriff Joe had all of the chickens executed, must of been some danger to the officers. And you wonder why I might be paranoid!

[OldCoyote]

So if you see a armored carrier here, on a residential street, it just may be Sheriff Joe just out to do in some more chickens.

[Deleted]

I really would like to know exactly what happened here. I have a hard time believing that an ex marine would step out in view of a large number of armed men with a rifle with the safety on. To do that would be begging to be shot & with the safety on you would have no chance to shoot back. It just doesn't seem logical.

[Deleted]

Who even knows? We DO have lots of crime here, and bad guy have been known to pose as cops around here. But for Dumpnik to keep his mouth shut is abnormal.

[Deleted]

www.kold.com/story/9270728/border-war-southern-arizona-security-alert?redirected=true

This article is a bit old.. and no, it is not better now, it is worse. First I found on this subject, don't feel like searching more. Read it-- see how this young man could have come armed to the door, not SURE who was at the door. IF he was innocent (if I was innocent) he (I) would be very concerned about why this was happening at the door. PLUS-- I saw that house, a common style cheap house in AZ. ONE window opening on the front of the house, BDRMs on the other inside in back, garage in front, hall in between... kid may have not wanted to go to the window-- too dangerous. NO other way to see outside.
SORRY, but I think this is a messed up thing. No drugs, no shots fired by the suspect, wife and baby hiding in the house calling 911---- no.

Remember the cops went to take that kid from that woman because she would not drug the kid?? She met with gun, they had no warrant, she actually SHOT the gun, and she was not blown to pieces!!!
Then there is what b2r posted--

And I am PRO COP!!

[marshabar1]

Those guys gotta go down. Amazing something like this could happen. Was there no investigation before this raid? Doesn't even seem possible. It takes a long time to build a big enough case to call out a raid of this magnitude with that kind of force.

[Deleted]

There was some shit that they saw a bad license plate at their house or something like that. Like I said MexAmerican people have HUGE families, lots of contacts-- no excuse for this crap.
Excuse my language, but I'm mad.

[marshabar1]

We had a bust go down in our old neighborhood and I know for a fact it took many months of surveillance and many logged incidents as well as interviews before they could get permission to go.

[Shirina]

Guerena confronted them from the far end of a long, dark hallway.

I'm curious to know just how Guerena "confronted" the officers. I think this is the lynch pin to this whole incident.

[Politically_Incorrect12]

I seem to be thinking differently than a lot of posters here.

1. The safety being on has no bearing on the story because there is no way to tell if a weapon being pointed at you from across the room is on safety or not.

2. 70 rounds in 6 seconds sounds to me like somebody saw the weapon being pointed and made a split second decision to start shooting, which is likely when everybody did the same. How fast do you think 7 seconds feels in a fire fight?

3. As for locking down the investigation it keep it internal...probably not a bad idea to try and keep public opinion from attempting to lead the investigation.

I'm not saying this wasn't a horrible tragedy, but I'm not ready to knock the police quiet yet. Would you rather them wait for a person pointing a weapon at them to fire and kill somebody first? If the guy had shot and killed a cop, people would say they didn't react fast enough.

[Politically_Incorrect12]

May 29, 2011 8:32:31 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

Is it just me or does the Jose in the first post not look like the Jose in the article?
Looking at the picture of those little boys is breaking my heart. There daddy is gone.

Definitely a sad situation