Police Officer Ryan Remington shoots wheelchair user

Cop shoots man in wheelchair 9 times

The shooting occurred Monday night at the Midvale Park shopping center. The deceased man, 61-year-old Richard Lee Richards, was suspected of stealing a toolbox from a Walmart in Tucson, police said.

When a Walmart loss prevention employee followed Richards out of the store and asked him for his toolbox receipt, Richards reportedly pulled out a knife and said, "Here's my receipt," police said. The employee then notified police.

Video footage from a body camera worn by Officer Stephanie Taylor shows her and Remington confronting Richards as he wheels his chair to the entrance of a nearby hardware store.

In the police video, an officer tells Richards, “Don't go in the store, sir.” When Richards ignores the warning, Taylor says, "Stop now. Then, according to the police video, Remington shoots Richards nine times at close range in the back and side.

Richards' body then slumps forward and falls out of his motorized wheelchair just outside the store entrance. A police officer then begins to call for medical assistance over the radio while Remington examines Richards' body as if to handcuff him. Richards died at the scene.

"[Remington's] use of deadly force in this incident is a clear violation of department policy and directly contradicts several aspects of our use of force and training," Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus said at a news conference Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.

You can walk up behind the wheelchair and push the emergency stop button. The victim was a threat to no one. The officer is a threat to everyone. — Limited Edition (@_clpaz) December 1, 2021