Thread: Pinal sheriff gives account of deputy's gunbattle in desert

Pinal sheriff gives account of deputy's gunbattle in desert

by Dennis Wagner -
May. 4, 2010 09:05 PM
The Arizona Republic

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said Tuesday that Deputy Louie Puroll was working alone, tracking footprints in the desert shortly before 4 p.m. Friday when he spotted armed smugglers ahead of him.

At that point, Babeu said, the deputy called for backup while continuing to trail the suspects.

"What's he to do?" the sheriff asked. "Do you run? Or do you expect us to take action?"

Just 10 minutes later, as deputies rushed to lend support, Puroll was fired upon by a gunman who apparently circled around for an ambush.

Babeu said Puroll, unloaded a 30-round clip from M-16 A1 assault rifle and then a full magazine from a .40-caliber Glock with 16 rounds in it.

The gunbattle lasted less than a minute, and the smugglers continued to fire in Puroll's direction even after he took cover.

As he hid, Puroll phoned dispatchers to advise that he had been shot.

Babeu said Puroll is assigned to Operation Stone Garden, a federally funded task force with the Border Patrol aimed at narcotics trafficking and violence in a particularly busy smuggling corridor that runs through the Tohono O'odham Nation and into Pinal County.

The sheriff said the first search aircraft, a National Guard helicopter, did not arrive at the remote scene until an hour after the shooting. When crew members mistook the sound of a falling clipboard for gunfire, he said, the rescue efforts were delayed to make sure the area was secure.

Although marijuana smugglers typically dump their backpacks when detected by law enforcement, Babeu said Puroll's assailants apparently had time to gather up the contraband and flee, leaving behind an empty AK-47 magazine and other items.

"It was such a confusing mess," Babeau said. "There is no doubt there was plenty of opportunity to escape."

Babeu said DPS investigators, who handled the crime scene, have not yet provided information on the evidence they found.

Although Puroll acted appropriately in following the suspects alone, Babeu said he has issued new departmental orders requiring all deputies assigned to Operation Stone Garden to work in pairs.

Babeu said the criminal and internal investigations are continuing. He said Puroll was placed on administrative leave for three days, per department policy, but has been cleared to return to duty.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/pina ... z0n1sDhmvh

http://www.azcentral.com/community/pina ... oting.html

RELATED

Men who shot Pinal sheriff's deputy still at large

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-197741.html

After firefight in desert, new details emerge
Sheriff releases deputy's calls for aid, blasts hoax speculation
by Dennis Wagner - May. 5, 2010 12:00 AM

After firing 46 shots at a group of drug smugglers in the desert last week, Deputy Louie Puroll hid in the brush and made a series of breathless calls to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office.

"Tell my wife I love her," the 53-year-old, who was shot twice, told a colleague during one of the calls, recordings of which were released Tuesday.


"Louie, don't talk like that," responded the man, who assured Puroll that deputies were already searching for him.

Sheriff Paul Babeu said Tuesday that the smugglers continued to fire in Puroll's direction for 20 minutes after the wounded officer took cover.

"Thank God he's alive," Babeu said.

The sheriff released recordings of Puroll's calls, as well as a detailed account of the ambush, to counter what he said was growing speculation that the event had been staged. An article on the website of the Phoenix New Times on Tuesday compared Puroll to a Phoenix police officer who staged a gunbattle 10 years ago.

"There's no doubt in my mind that this happened," the sheriff said.

But he conceded that early reports about the incident were confusing and sometimes incorrect. For instance, a helicopter crew responding to the emergency mistakenly reported that it had come under fire. And although Puroll never spoke with the smugglers, sheriff's officials issued a description of two attackers claiming one of the men had a "Sinaloan accent."

"In the fog of any type of crisis - certainly a shooting - there's information that comes out that is conflicting, that isn't always accurate," Babeu said. "We never, in our wildest dreams, believed that the integrity of an officer involved in a shooting would be questioned."

Puroll, who suffered a pair of flesh wounds to his side, told investigators he was ambushed Friday while tracking marijuana smugglers in an off-road area about 4 miles south of Interstate 8 near Antelope Peak.

The attack came exactly one week after Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a tough new immigration law that makes it a crime to be in the state illegally. Babeu has been a prominent supporter of the law, which requires authorities to check documents of people they reasonably suspect to be illegal.

Puroll has turned down interview requests. Babeu, who has pressed for tougher border enforcement, described the deputy as "a very private type of guy" who even turned down a meeting with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

"He said to me, 'Sheriff, I want to go back to work,'" Babeu said.

Sheriff's officials said two people with AK-47 rifles were taken into custody by the Border Patrol on Monday and that two other people in custody in Pinal County also are considered "investigative leads."

Babeu said evidence will support Puroll's account of the gunbattle, as will comments from some of the approximately 100 undocumented immigrants who were detained in the search area. He said three of those immigrants are victims, who said they were robbed by men fitting the description of those who shot at Puroll.

"We've had numerous, separate accounts that have corroborated statements given by our deputy," Babeu said. "There's other information we have that will disprove all of these baseless and dreamed-up theories."

Babeu said Puroll was tracking footprints shortly before 4 p.m. Friday when he spotted armed smugglers ahead of him. At that point, Babeu said, the deputy called for backup while continuing to trail the suspects.

"What's he to do?" the sheriff asked. "Do you run? Or do you expect us to take action?"

Just 10 minutes later, as deputies rushed to lend support, Puroll was fired upon by a gunman who apparently circled around for an ambush. As at least two people fired on him, Babeu said, Puroll unloaded a 30-round clip from M-16 A1 assault rifle and then a full magazine from a .40-caliber Glock with 16 rounds in it. Then, he phoned dispatchers to advise that he had been shot.

One of the wounds is a graze mark. The other clearly was caused by a bullet, Babeu said. Marks on his skin suggest Puroll was hit from at least 6 feet away.

Puroll is assigned to Operation Stone Garden, a federally funded taskforce with the Border Patrol aimed at narcotics trafficking and violence in a particularly busy smuggling corridor.

The sheriff said the first search aircraft, a National Guard helicopter, did not arrive at the remote scene until an hour after the shooting. When crew members mistook the sound of a falling clipboard for gunfire, he said, the rescue efforts were delayed to make sure the area was secure.

Although marijuana smugglers typically dump their backpacks when detected by law enforcement, Babeu said, Puroll's assailants apparently had time to gather up the contraband and flee.

"It was such a confusing mess," Babeu said. "There is no doubt there was plenty of opportunity to escape."

Babeu said DPS investigators, who handled the crime scene, have not yet provided information on the evidence they found.

Although Puroll acted appropriately in following the attackers alone, Babeu said he has issued new departmental orders requiring all deputies assigned to Operation Stone Garden to work in pairs.

"There is a direct threat," he said. "We are changing our tactics."



http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepubli ... tails.html

Doctors raise doubts about Ariz. deputy's shooting
By BOB CHRISTIE (AP) – 6 hours ago

PHOENIX — Two nationally known forensic pathologists are questioning a sheriff deputy's version of how he was shot in the remote desert south of Phoenix, adding to theories that the incident was a hoax timed to enflame the debate over illegal immigration.

Pinal County Deputy Louie Puroll told investigators he was following a group of smugglers carrying bales of marijuana on April 30 when he was ambushed by men firing AK-47 rifles. In what Puroll described as a running gunbattle, he said he was grazed by a bullet in the back.

The pathologists, Dr. Michael Baden of New York and Dr. Werner Spitz of suburban Detroit, examined photos of the wound released by the sheriff's office. They told The Associated Press on Friday they concluded the bullet was fired from inches away, not at least 25 yards as Puroll said.

Their opinion was first reported by the Phoenix New Times.

It's "a close wound, not a distant wound, based on the appearance of the skin around the wound, which is normally what we forensic pathologists look at," said Baden, a former New York City chief medical examiner currently working for the New York State Police. "We're talking inches, not yards."

Dr. Werner Spitz, former chief medical examiner of Detroit's Wayne County and author of a death investigation textbook, held the same opinion.

"There's almost no doubt that this is a muzzle contact-type injury, with the muzzle flame singeing the skin right where the bullet went by," Spitz said.

When asked if the bullet could have been from 25 yards away, he said: "No, it was not (even) from 1 yard away."

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu was out of town in meetings Friday, but his spokesman released a statement saying the sheriff's office stands behind the official investigation, and physical evidence supports the deputy's account.

There were no burn marks on Puroll's shirt and his wound had no stippling, which is caused from burnt gun powder coming from the barrel of a gun when fired at a close distance, the statement said.

"The article that is critical of the investigation was written by a reporter who was able to solicit opinions of those with differing views," the statement said. "After a review all of the evidence in this case, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office has closed this criminal investigation and concluded that it occurred as Deputy Puroll reported it."

Baden said it appeared that Puroll's shirt did have what appeared to be powder burns. The New Times reported that it was not sent to the state police lab for examination.

Puroll's shooting fueled an already blazing debate in Arizona and the nation about the dangers of immigrant and drug smugglers in southern Arizona. It came just days after Arizona Gov. Janet Brewer signed a sweeping law giving law enforcement powers to question suspected illegal immigrants and arrest them. The major parts of that law have been put on hold by a federal judge on constitutional grounds.

The shooting immediately raised questions from observers who believed it was odd that the deputy was alone in the remote desert, supposedly looking for armed drug smugglers without backup. And a dragnet thrown up by more than 100 officers in the rugged mountainous area about 50 miles south of Phoenix found no suspects and no bales of marijuana, although it did turn up more than a dozen illegal immigrants.

The area is a well-known smuggling corridor for drugs and illegal immigrants headed from Mexico to Phoenix and the U.S. interior.

Shortly after the shooting, Babeu discounted those questioning his deputy, releasing reports that he said should squelch rumors that Puroll set up the incident as a hoax to inflame the public.

Babeu did change sheriff's policy to prohibit deputies from patrolling remote areas alone.

www.google.com

Case of Arizona deputy's shooting reopened
By AMANDA LEE MYERS (AP) – 8 hours ago

PHOENIX — Arizona officials on Monday reopened the investigation into a deputy's explanation of how he was shot in the remote desert south of Phoenix amid speculation it was a hoax timed to enflame the debate over illegal immigration.

The Pinal County Sheriff's Office announced its decision Monday after two nationally known forensic pathologists raised questions about a wound the deputy suffered.

Pinal County Deputy Louie Puroll told investigators he was following a group of smugglers carrying bales of marijuana April 30 when he was ambushed by men firing AK-47 rifles. In what Puroll described as a running gunbattle, he was grazed by a bullet in the back.

The pathologists, Dr. Michael Baden of New York and Dr. Werner Spitz of suburban Detroit, examined photos of the wound released by the sheriff's office. They told The Associated Press on Friday they concluded the bullet was fired from inches away, not at least 25 yards as Puroll said.

The sheriff's office soon after released a statement saying it stood behind the official investigation, and that physical evidence supports the deputy's account.

But the office reopened the case Monday, saying it wants to maintain transparency.

Office spokesman Tim Gaffney said the shirt Puroll was wearing the day of the shooting is being sent to the state Department of Public Safety for testing. The department will check for gunshot residue, charring, burning or any other evidence that it was a close-range shot.

"If in fact a rifle was fired at Deputy Puroll within a couple of inches as Dr. Baden and Dr. Spitz have concluded, burn marks and residue will be present on the shirt," Gaffney said.

The sheriff's office said Friday there were no burn marks on Puroll's shirt and that his wound had no stippling, which is caused from burnt gunpowder coming from the barrel of a gun fired at close range.

But Baden said Puroll's shirt did appear to have powder burns.

The sheriff's office said Monday it consulted with Dr. Phil Keen, former chief medical examiner for Maricopa County, about the other pathologists' opinions. He said Keen disagreed but that he would need the results of tests on the shirt to confirm his opinion.

Puroll's shooting fueled an already blazing debate in Arizona and the nation about the dangers of immigrant and drug smugglers in southern Arizona. It came just days after Arizona Gov. Janet Brewer signed a sweeping law giving law enforcers powers to question suspected illegal immigrants and arrest them. The major parts of that law have been put on hold by a federal judge on constitutional grounds.

The shooting immediately raised questions about a deputy supposedly looking for armed drug smugglers in the remote desert without backup. A dragnet involving more than 100 officers in the rugged mountainous area about 50 miles south of Phoenix found no suspects and no bales of marijuana.

The area is a well-known smuggling corridor for drugs and illegal immigrants headed from Mexico to Phoenix and the U.S. interior.

www.google.com

Investigation Opened into Arizona Shooting That Fired Up Immigration Debate
Deputy Said He Was Wounded in a Firefight, But Experts Now Doubt His Story
By DAVID WRIGHT
PHOENIX, Sept. 28, 2010—


One week after Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a tough new anti-immigration bill in April, a dramatic incident in the Arizona desert focused the debate over her decision.

A sheriff's deputy called for backup, saying he had been caught in a firefight.

"I'm not OK, I've been shot. Tell them to hurry up," Deputy Louie Puroll said on a recording of the call. "There's at least two guys with AK's. I may have gotten one of them, but I can't, uh, I got to get off the phone and shut up."

Watch "World News with Diane Sawyer" for more on this story tonight on ABC.

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu claimed that his deputy was ambushed by a band of Mexicans smuggling marijuana.

"He had 20 to 30 rounds fired at him," Sheriff Babeu said after the incident.

Babeu immediately became the darling of Arizona's anti-immigrantion movement. At a Diamondbacks baseball game, he awarded Puroll a Purple Heart before himself throwing out the first pitch. Babeu became a regular on the Fox News Channel, and even appeared in John McCain's campaign ads for his re-election bid.

The problem is, there is now mounting evidence that the shooting may have been a hoax.

Serious holes emerged this week in the deputy's story, starting with a supposed bullet hole in his side. One of the nation's top forensic experts says the evidence points to a self-inflicted wound. The powder burns indicate the muzzle was in contact with his body when the gun fired.

"I cannot tell you who held the gun and who pulled the trigger, but in theory, an individual could cause this wound to himself," said Dr. Werner Spitz, a forensic pathologist who examined photos of the wounds released by the sheriff's office.

Although hundreds of law enforcement officials responded to the scene, they never recovered the bales of marijuana or found the alleged shooters.

Deputy's Story Called into Question in Arizona

Paul Rubin, an investigative reporter for the Phoenix New Times newspaper, broke the story this week. The New Times is now calling the Pinal County Sheriff's deputy "Pinalcchio."

"This isn't going to change the debate, but it will make people think twice that illegal immigrants are all gun-toting, sheriff-shooting bad guys," said Rubin.

The deputy isn't talking right now, but Sheriff Babeu is sticking to his guns.

"To try to dismiss this or excuse it with some type of a hypothetical conspiracy theory is a far stretch," Babeu said today.

The sheriff is reopening the investigation -- not because he doesn't believe his deputy, he says, but rather because he hopes to exonerate him.

http://abcnews.go.com