Police: Officer shoots man who charged with bayonets

A Tucson police officer shot a man in midtown Tucson on Monday morning.

Officers responded to a report of a wanted individual, James Nicholas Pacheco, on Alvernon Way and Paradise Falls Drive in the early morning, Tucson police said in a news release.

When they arrived, Pacheco, 37, and a second person fled on foot into a desert area.

Officer Daniel Garcia chased and confronted Pacheco. Pacheco allegedly brandished two bayonets and charged at Garcia, police said.

Tucson police shared a screenshot of a body camera video that showed the form of a man near an officer with his fists raised over his head, but it is not clear which direction he is facing or what he may be holding.

In response, Garcia fired at Pacheco and struck him. Officers administered first aid, and Pacheco was transported to Banner University Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.

Pacheco was wanted for kidnapping and sexual assault for an incident that happened on Friday.

The release said Pacheco will be charged with kidnapping, sexual assault and aggravated assault on an officer upon release from the hospital.

The investigation is ongoing, including an investigation into the officers’ actions, which is standard protocol.

Garcia has been with the Tucson Police Department for six years.

Law enforcement in Arizona have shot 23 people so far this year, killing 14, according to analysis from The Arizona Republic. It is the second person Tucson police have shot. The other was a man suspected of shooting his estranged wife.