[EA note: This article was originally posted at Oath Keepers’ national website on May 16 2011. The link for this original article is no longer working. I am rebuilding the entire series of articles as closely to the original postings as I am able to do from my notes here. That will not happen very quickly, and I can only hope my notes will prove strong enough, and accurate enough, to mirror closely how each installment of this series existed originally. I may edit in some graphics if I can find the originals or good substitutes. I have left the “tense” of the writing as it was in the original series, so keep in mind that this story came in 2011.  This link is no good, and a number of other links in this article are no longer good, but are part of the record for this series. I will place the original link for each part in its appropriate posting.]

https://oathkeepers.org/oath/2011/05/16/an-empire-strikes-home-_-part-one/

Forenote: This article focuses on the recent killing of a former U.S. Marine  veteran of the Iraq war in a military styled raid on his home by the Pima County, Arizona, Sheriff’s Department while allegedly attempting to serve a warrant.
However, there are two other striking stories which relate to this story. The three stories taken together create a yet larger story, and one with very serious implications. I will break the larger story into three sub-sections, parts one through three.  I will post two other parts as quickly as I can write each of them. Please check back at this site for the next installments, and do grant yourself permission to read part one in full.

An Empire Strikes Home

By Elias Alias, May 16, 2011

Let us examine some articles about a young husband and father, a war veteran with the U.S. Marines who served two tours in Iraq. The articles are about his being killed by the Pima County, Arizona, Sheriff’s Department while the Sheriff’s Department was serving a warrant at the former Marine’s house.

On May 05, 2011 KGUN9 in Tucson, Arizona, reported the following information to its audience:

PCSD ID’s man killed in morning SWAT situation

Posted: May 05, 2011 11:47 AM MDT Thursday, May 5, 2011 1:47 PM : Updated May 06, 2011 11:20 AM MDT

TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) – The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has confirmed that a man is dead after a standoff and gun battle with deputies.

Jason Ogan, spokesperson with PCSD tells KGUN9 that 26-year-old Jose Huerena was the suspect killed this morning.According to Ogan, deputies were serving a warrant at a home near Valenica Road and Wade Road when the standoff started.  A woman and a child were also in the home with the suspect at the time the warrant was served.  Howeverm [sic] they were able to get out of the house before the SWAT team became involved.

When deputies fianlly entered the home, the Huerena started firing with a long rifle.  Deputies fired back, fatally shooting him.

That article is here – [EA Note: This link is no longer good.]
http://www.kgun9.com/story/14580187/tpd-confirms-second-swat-situation-in-two-days

–

As I read the above article, I gather that the Pima County Sheriff’s Department was using “deputies” to serve a warrant.  At the home of the man for whom the alleged warrant was issued, a man ended up dead after “a standoff and gun battle with deputies”.  The “suspect” was, as I read this story, involved in a “standoff”. That means to me that he was barricaded inside his home and was keeping the officers outside his house by some means or other, with the most likely implied meaning being his brandishing of a long rifle.  We don’t know for sure at this point who “the Huerena” would be, but we figure that is actually Jose Guerena, the suspect for whom the warrant was issued, who fired on the deputies “with a long rifle”. At that point, after the suspect fired on them, they opened fire and killed him.

All in a day’s work, yes?

Before moving to the next news release about this shooting incident, in which fortunately no peace officers were harmed, let us recount that an armed suspect fired on the deputies who were there to serve a warrant, as told to the news journalist by … well, by whom?

We must presume that the report came from the Sheriff’s Department for Pima County, right? In fact, the article clearly states that one “Jason Ogan, spokesperson with PCSD” told KGUN9 that Jose Guerena was the suspect who was shot dead, and that deputies were serving a warrant at Huerena’s house when the standoff started.

We’ll bear that in mind.

But later and to our surprise, we’re to read a somewhat different account.  Let’s look at the subsequent report:

SWAT Officers kill armed suspect, neighbors shocked

TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) – At around 9:45 Thursday morning, people living near Valencia and Ajo Highway heard sounds that they’ve never heard on their street before.

“Gunshots. Boom, boom boom. Screaming!” described a neighbor.  “It kind of looks like a scene from Law & Order.  To see all of this is just crazy!”

Pima County Sheriff’s deputies told KGUN9 News that the SWAT team showed up at the home to serve a search warrant, although they won’t say the reason for the warrant. Deputies said that when they went down the hallway, they were greeted by Jose Guerena, 26, who was armed with a rifle. Deputies said that he opened fire on the officers which forced them to fire back, killing Guerena. The bulletproof shield that officers were carrying took the brunt of the bullets. They were not hurt.

“We are trained to always be on alert because you never know when a scenario is going to change.  We don’t always know what the bad guy is going to do.”said Pima County Deputy, Jason Ogan.  “The SWAT team is used deliberately for high risk type warrants, this met that criteria and that’s why the SWAT team served the warrant.”

Ogan said that Guerena’s wife and four year old son were not hurt.

Neighbors who spoke to 9 On Your Side had no idea why the SWAT team was serving a warrant on the house.

“Being out here so close to the border, it could have been anything from drugs to human smuggling,” one neighbor said.  He added that the Guerena family was the “quiet family” on the street.

Guerena’s home was eventually searched, but deputies would not disclose what was found.

– end quoted passages –

Read the Remainder of This Article at Oath Keepers