Former Marine killed by SWAT was acting in defense, family says

kgun9.com ^ | May 11, 2011 | Joel Waldman

[WaterBoard]

Jose Guerena, 26, was killed when a SWAT team came to his house to serve a search warrant


Guerena's wife, Vanessa, said the SWAT team did not identify themselves


Thinking it was a home invasion, Guerena got his rifle

Now, Pima County Sheriff's officials are refuting original claims that Guerena fired at the SWAT members. In fact, they confirmed his safety was still on when his gun was recovered. Also, officials said that reports that some SWAT officers' shields were riddled with bullets are also untrue.

SWAT gunned Jose down with 71 rounds fired in just about seven seconds; officials said they did not expect Vanessa to be home with their four-year-old son, Joel, who ended up witnessing his dad's death. Now he has questions about what happened, like so many others.

"The only thing he asked me, 'Mom, my dad a bad guy? They killed my dad! Police killed my dad? Why? What did my dad do?'" explained Guerena.

Jose's relatives want his children to know he did his best to be a great husband, dad and patriot.

[WaterBoard]

Guerena's wife, Vanessa, said her husband died thinking he was protecting his family from an invasion.

"I saw this guy pointing me at the window. So, I got scared. And, I got like, ‘Please don't shoot, I have a baby.' I put my baby (down). (And I) put bag in window. And, I yell ‘Jose! Jose! Wake up!'" she explained.

Jose had just come home from working at the mine. Vanessa said he had fallen asleep two hours before, only to wake up to chaos in his house. It was Pima County SWAT executing a narcotics conspiracy search warrant, but according to her, neither she nor her husband knew it was the authorities until it was too late.

"You're saying only (they) yelled SWAT after the shootout?" asked KGUN9 reporter Joel Waldman.

"Oh, yes! Yes," said Guerena.

[robertwalker62]

Barbaric - and people wonder why I don’t wish to return to the US.

[iontheball]

SAWT team hit the wrong house, I bet. One of the saddest stories I have read in a long time.

[WaterBoard]

So that’s what she did with their 4-year-old son.

It was the last time she saw her husband of nearly nine years alive.

During the next few seconds, bullets riddled the family’s Southwest-side home. At least 60 holes, family members say; from the front door through stucco and walls separating room after room after room.

In the middle of it all was a dead man - who did have weapon in his hands - but never fired a single bullet.

“The people he served ended his life. That’s how short I can put it to you. He served his country, for his purpose, for his people and now they’re saying he was a high-risk person in this state.

“I don’t know why they’re saying that. Now they’re backing up, saying he didn’t shoot.”

That’s why the family is coming forward...so soon after the incident, searching for answers, that continue to elude this heart-broken wife and mother.

“Why? Why they did that to him?

“I just want justice for my kids...I want justice for them.”

[mnehring]

Let me guess, the so called ‘narcotics’ warrant was because the wife accidentally bought one too many boxes of Zyrtec in a week.

[from occupied ga]

Thinking it was a home invasion, Guerena got his rifle

It WAS a home invasion. Doesn't matter whose doing it. The action was by definition a home invasion.

[WaterBoard]

It is interesting that the police initially lied to the public and still have a job.

Read this:



Sheriff's Bureau Chief Rick Kastigar says SWAT team members were going down a hallway in the home when Guerena confronted them.

Kastigar says Guerena was armed with an AR-15 assault rifle.

"He fired a shot at the SWAT team which struck a protective shield that was being held by the very first individual in the home," Kastigar says.

"As I indicated earlier, SWAT officers from both our agency and other agencies returned fire," Kastigar continues."

Now the Pima Police Department changes the story:

Jose Guerena pointed a military style AR-15 rifle at deputies who were serving a search warrant on a home in the 7100 block of South Redwater Driveon Tucson’s SW side, but the weapon’s safety on and it did not fire, Deputy Erin Gibson, a Pima County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman, said on Monday.

Where did the magic bullet holds in shield go? Thin air?

[Waryone]

I will be praying for that poor Marine’s family. This is just so sad. He was just trying to protect his family and they killed him.

[WayneS]

Yup. A state-sanctioned home invasion.

It’s a darned gogd thing that ol’ ‘war on drugs’ is reaping such benfits for society — otherwise it’d be easy to conclude that it’s just not worth it...

[TruthConquers]

That poor boy!!

That poor mom!!!

This just makes me sick.

But for some reason I have the lefts mantra running in my head: “creating terrorists”. This country is creating terrorists of their own with TSA and police killing people like this.

Someday, somewhere, Americans will wake up, someone will break, justice will be done upon this unjust travesty of a police state.

[The Magical Mischief Tour]

With these Rambo-wannabe idiots firing 71 rounds in 7 seconds it’ll probably turn out to be their rounds that hit their equipment.

I’m sure bullets were flying fast and reckless from God only knows how many different weapons and angles... bullet ricochets were all but certain.

[Drago]

Wasn’t it the Pima Co. Sheriff that was ranting about the “dangerous” Tea Party people after the Giffords shooting? (by a left-leaning wacko). I guess it turns out that the lefty Pima Co. sheriff is the violent/incompetent one!!

[The Magical Mischief Tour]

Agreed, the only “domestic terrorist” I’ve seen lately have been those wrapped in the uniforms of cops... or their SWAT camo’s...

[The Magical Mischief Tour]

Yes... Sheriff Dupnik

[xkaydet65]

Since when do they yell “SWAT.”? They’re supposed to yell “Police” before they attempt to enter a home, or in this case “Sheriff’s Department, we have a warrant”.

[Dogbert41]

Maybe the Marines need to take care of this Sheriff department.

[Oztrich Boy]

Now, Pima County Sheriff's officials are refuting original claims that Guerena fired at the SWAT members

The word the PCS is groping for is "retracting".

[centurion316]

If a soldier had done this in Iraq or Afghanistan, he would be court martialed for murder. But, I guess if you are the Pima County SWAT team you can kill whomever you please and then lie about it.

A communist in the White House, the Gestapo in our police forces, and the tree huggers running our energy policy. Who could be upset by any of that?

[Myrddin]

The whole lot of them should be tried for first degree murder,
perjury and obstruction of justice. As a start, they should be
terminated and stripped of badges, authority and firearms. Let
them call a defense lawyer and insurance company to cover the
trial expenses. The family can follow up with a wrongful death suit
against the officers and city/county that employed them.

[Myrddin]

Sheriff Dumbshit strikes again.