Tucson cops kill hispanic man after he points gun at police dog’s head

Francisco Javier Galarza was killed after pointing a gun at police dog Kiro's head.

By Edward Era Barbacena

Arizona police shot a suspect to death after he pointed a handgun at a police dog’s head, video shows.

The Tucson Police department released body cam footage Tuesday of Francisco Javier Galarza aiming a semi-automatic at a K9 named Kiro, as the dog brought the runaway suspect to the ground.

Police instantly opened fire on the man, killing him with several shots.

According to the department, Galarza was wanted on a felony arrest warrant for home invasion and bank robbery.

The 49-year-old was spotted entering a convenience store just before noon on Aug. 25. Police confronted him in the parking lot, but Galarza immediately tried to run away.

“Police! Get down!” Officers can be heard telling Galarza several times in the video as he runs.

Officer Barry Peterson, a 15-year veteran, released Kiro, who tackled Galarza to the ground.

From both body camera perspectives, Galarza can be seen pointing the gun at Kiro.

“Gun,” an officer says before Peterson and another officer discharged their own guns, killing Galarza.

Multiple agencies are reviewing the footage to determine whether the deadly use of force was warranted in the case.

Francisco Javier Galarza 

Galarza has a lengthy criminal history record in Pima County, News13 reported.

In 1992, he was sentenced to three years in prison. Two years later, he was convicted of drug possession and was sentenced to four years.

In 2000, Galarza was convicted of vehicle theft. A year later, he was convicted on six counts of robbery armed and armed robbery and received an 11-year sentence. Upon release, he was convicted of armed robbery again and sentenced to another 7.5 years.