Thread: Attorney: SWAT raid found guns, body armor

Arizona Daily Star
By Fernanda Echavarri Arizona Daily Star

Attorney: SWAT raid found guns, body armor

A portrait of Jesus Malverde, believed to be a "narco saint," was found under Guerena's bed, Storie said. He did not know if drugs were found in the home. Guerena's wife denies having them in her home.

The man shot and killed by Pima County SWAT officers was linked to a home-invasion crew, the attorney representing the officers said Thursday.

Attorney Michael Storie said authorities found rifles, handguns, body armor and a portion of a law-enforcement uniform inside the house where Jose Guerena was shot by officers serving a search warrant May 5.

"Everything they think they're going to find in there they find," Storie said in a news conference called a day after the Sheriff's Department complained that media reports on the incident spread misinformation and encouraged speculation about events surrounding the shooting. The Sheriff's Department said Wednesday that it would provide no details about the case to the public until the investigation is complete.

The search warrant and court documents showing what deputies were looking for and seized from Guerena's home have been sealed by a judge and are unavailable to the public.

Christopher Scileppi, who is representing the Guerena family, said nothing seized from Guerena's home was illegal and that Storie's statements were unsupported by facts and meant to discredit Guerena's character. Scileppi did not comment on the details of the case.

On Thursday afternoon, the Sheriff's Department declined to comment on what the attorneys said.

All statements made by Storie on Thursday morning came from the five SWAT officers he is representing, he said.

The five officers had "no choice but to shoot" when they breached the front door of the house in the 7100 block of South Redwater Drive and saw Guerena holding a rifle, Storie said. The home is on the southwest side, near South Wade and West Los Reales roads.

The house was targeted as part of an investigation into home invasions and drug rip-offs. The Guerena house was among homes that "were identified as locations where these activities were being carried out from."

No arrests have been made from any of the other homes where SWAT served search warrants, Storie said.

According to the SWAT members' statements, all law enforcement vehicles approaching Guerena's home had lights and sirens on and parked in the driveway, Storie said.

Guerena's wife, Vanessa, who was inside the house with their 4-year-old son, has said she did not see or hear lights and sirens and that Guerena thought they were being targeted for a home invasion, which is why her husband grabbed his AR-15 rifle and told her and their son to hide in a closet.

The raid took place about 9:30 a.m., and Guerena, 26, was asleep after working the graveyard shift at Asarco Mission Mine, Guerena's wife said.

Storie said that once the SWAT team parked outside the home, the lights and sirens were turned off. An officer banged on the door for about 45 seconds while identifying the team as police, he said.

After that, five SWAT members broke in the front door and saw Guerena holding a rifle at the end of a long hallway.

One officer began shooting after Guerena placed the rifle in front of him and said: "I've got something for you; I've got something for you guys," Storie said.

The other officers at the front door of the house also fired, striking Guerena.

All five SWAT members were shooting from just outside the home and never entered the house, Storie said.

After Guerena's wife and son came out of the house, officers sent in a robot, and that's when they saw Guerena had been shot and was unresponsive.

When asked why SWAT members did not rush in to render medical aid to Guerena, Storie said officers on scene "have to assume that there are other people with guns and that there are other people with body armor inside the residence."

He said officers could not conclude Guerena was incapacitated because he fell into a room after he was shot and officers could not see him from the doorway.

Based on a photograph of a large bloodstain inside the home, Scileppi said, Guerena fell down in clear view of the front door and officers could see him.

The SWAT officers fired 71 shots, striking Guerena 60 times.

The search warrant was not directed at any particular person, and Guerena's name was not mentioned, but it was targeting whoever might be inside the residence, Storie said.

If SWAT members had been let into the home, those inside "probably ... wouldn't have been arrested," Storie said.

While the SWAT team was at Guerena's home, another SWAT team was serving a search warrant in a nearby home as part of the same investigation, and Storie said a man showed up during the search and said, "You shot my relative."

Storie believes somebody called from inside Guerena's home and alerted family members to the shooting.

Scileppi said he would not comment on those allegations until he "has all the facts."

A portrait of Jesus Malverde, believed to be a "narco saint," was found under Guerena's bed, Storie said. He did not know if drugs were found in the home. Guerena's wife denies having them in her home.

According to Storie, several days before the shooting undercover officers in an unmarked car drove by Guerena's home to do surveillance, and 10 minutes after they drove by, they were alerted that their license plate had been run through the Motor Vehicle Division by someone they say followed the unmarked vehicle from Guerena's home. That was considered countersurveillance on law enforcement, Storie said.

Under the Federal Privacy Act, the MVD in Arizona cannot release information on a license plate to anyone other than to law enforcement.

Scileppi said it took two weeks for "the fourth version of the story" and these details to emerge because "they needed to put a story out that is going to protect them."

"Bottom line is they've had two weeks to construct a story, circle the wagons," Scileppi said.

Scileppi asked Storie and the Sheriff's Department to release more information about the incident. "The family wants to know the truth," he said.

Scileppi has partnered with Patrick Broom for this case. The five officers Storie is representing are from the Sahuarita, Marana and Oro Valley police departments, and two from the Sheriff's Department. The sheriff's SWAT team is made up of officers from different agencies.

Source: http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/a ... mode=story

jesus malverde

VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNmzUKXjh7w

DEDICADO PARA MI HERMANO.

The five officers had "no choice but to shoot" when they breached the front door of the house in the 7100 block of South Redwater Drive and saw Guerena holding a rifle, Storie said. The home is on the southwest side, near South Wade and West Los Reales roads.

He don't look so tough now that he's in a body bag!!

Originally Posted by FreeRideIsOver

The five officers had "no choice but to shoot" when they breached the front door of the house in the 7100 block of South Redwater Drive and saw Guerena holding a rifle, Storie said. The home is on the southwest side, near South Wade and West Los Reales roads.

He don't look so tough now that he's in a body bag!!

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Guerena did show signs of being involved in drug trafficking, but that could have easily been handled with a warrant, and after Guerena had been safely arrested outside of the house where the child was.

Mexicans have largely brought this mess on themselves for NOT SPEAKING UP AND ROUTING THESE ELEMENTS from within their own communities (all across the country, in every state now) twenty years ago. They saw this coming much clearer, and closer than anyone else. They ignored it and now the whole country is bleeding for it.

The bloodshed could have been completely ignored, and the perp arrested with a simple arrest warrant outside the house.

None of the evidence (if there was any) would have been tampered with, and innocent lives would not have been put in a Waco-like situation.

More here than meets the eye ..

According to Storie, several days before the shooting undercover officers in an unmarked car drove by Guerena's home to do surveillance, and 10 minutes after they drove by, they were alerted that their license plate had been run through the Motor Vehicle Division by someone they say followed the unmarked vehicle from Guerena's home. That was considered countersurveillance on law enforcement, Storie said.

Under the Federal Privacy Act, the MVD in Arizona cannot release information on a license plate to anyone other than to law enforcement.
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Counter surveillance by whom? Someone with access to MVD records and procedures. Who could that be?

Early news video of neighbor said a burst of auto weapons fire by 2 weapons, 45 sec wait then 2 or 3 more more "shotgun" rounds. Neighbor probably not a weapons expert but most anyone can distinguish between machine gun and single shot fire. Vic was hit 60 times, 57 by auto and 2-3 to finish him off? Also missing from this last release is the admission of an accidental weapons discharge from one of the SWAT team. The front door frame (from news video) was full of bullet holes from the INSIDE! IMHO the accidental discharge was toward the front door causing SWAT team members in the door to react. 71 shots in 7 secs is the so far official report. Other news video shows the back side of the house riddled with holes. Typical Tucson construction is a layer of drywall inside and a layer of foam insulation with stucco on the outside. WAAAY too much fire power for a crowded neighborhood.

Normally I would side with the LEO's anywhere a weapon is aimed at them. Too many discrepancies, too many things not adding up to let it slide. The MVD report makes me think there was a second investigation unrelated to the SWAT raid. Vic may have been a ratted out mole. That he did not fire is indicitive of not knowing who was at the door.

Why do we have SWAT teams, with automatic weapons, serving search warrants, in crowded residential areas,,, While a few miles south, the Bortac team is chasing border bandits with beanbag guns???

One last thought- What does Vegas say on the odds that the guns found at the Vic's house are part of the op Gunrunner program? Would be a hellofa reason to cover things up.

Originally Posted by CaptDreadlocke

One last thought- What does Vegas say on the odds that the guns found at the Vic's house are part of the op Gunrunner program? Would be a hellofa reason to cover things up.

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Your LAST THOUGHT was undoubtedly anyone's FIRST THOUGHT who has been following the gov coverup of weapons being funneled through the drug cartels - with the knowledge of U-KNOW-WHO.

This was overkill in anyone's book. Has this nation now sunk so low it is now using cartel tactics in heavily populated neighborhoods?

Everyone fully supports LE for going after the bad guys. Everyone also supports going after LE if THEY are the bad guys too.

A simple arrest warrant, with the main suspect being apprehended far away from innocents being put in harm's way was the obvious solution.

Shades of Janet Reno on Janet Napolitano steroids.