Look up swat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

SWAT is a special-weapons-and-tactics paramilitary unit of a law-enforcement agency.

Swat or SWAT may also refer to:

In media:

• SWAT (series), a video games series spin-off of Police Quest
• S.W.A.T. (TV series), a 1970s American television series about a police unit that deals with special weapons and tactics
  • S.W.A.T. (film), a 2003 film based on the TV series
  • S.W.A.T. (soundtrack), soundtrack album to the movie
  • S.W.A.T.: Firefight, a 2011 film sequel

In Geography:

• Swat, Pakistan, a district in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province
• Swat (princely state), a princely state in now Pakistan
• Swat River, a river in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan

Other:

• Swat, a blow, for instance in spanking, such as in a birthday custom
• Swat, or block (basketball), a defensive player legally deflects a shot from an offensive player
• The Samba (software) Web Administration Tool
• Surface Water Assessment Team, part of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement of the American Department of Interior
• In hydrology, the SWAT model: Soil & Water Assessment Tool, a river basin scale model developed to quantify the impact of land management practices in large, complex watersheds.

See also[link]

• Fly swatter
• "Sultan of Swat", a.k.a. of Babe Ruth
• Abdul Ghafur, the 19th century Akhund of Swat
• Swatting
• Swot (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Jose Guerena was a U.S. Marine veteran who served in the Iraq War and was murdered in his Tucson, Arizona home, on May 5, 2011, by officers of the Pima County SWAT team, while they were executing a warrant for search of his home.

Incident[link]

Asleep after returning from a 12-hour overnight shift at the ASARCO Mission mine, Guerena was awakened about 9:30 AM by his wife who heard noises outside their house, later identified as flash/bang grenades deployed by police in the back yard as a diversion.^[2] He instructed his wife and 4-year-old son to hide inside a closet while he grabbed his AR-15 rifle and crouched down preparing to defend himself from whomever was breaking into his home. The Sheriff's Department initially lied, claiming that Guerena had fired on officers; at least three of the SWAT members including the team commander reported in their post-operation debriefings that they had observed muzzle flashes aimed at them from inside the house.^[3] Other officers claimed they saw splinters from the doorjamb being hit by bullets. The shots that caused this were determined to come from other members of the SWAT team who had poor aim.^[4] "There were five officers at the door beginning to make entry into this home, when they engaged this individual that they believed was actually firing at them."^[5] Other versions of this story claim that officers started shooting after Guerena pointed the gun at them, though under questioning they were initially unsure whether he had actually moved to target them.^[3] At this point the five person team fired at least 71 rounds at Guerena in less than seven seconds, who died after being hit 22 times.^[6][7] An investigation revealed that Jose had not even fired his weapon once. The AR-15 rifle Guerena allegedly pointed toward officers was found loaded, but with the safety engaged.

An ambulance and Lifeline helicopter were on standby during the raid, and Guerena's wife called 911 to request medical assistance for her husband shortly after the shooting. Paramedics, however, were instructed to hold back. Gurerena was denied attention, about one hour, until team declared "area secured". (Later reports are he bled to death in about 4 minutes). Ambulance crews were then notified they were no longer needed, one hour and fourteen minutes after Guerena's wife's call to 911.^[6][8] An official autopsy report was released on 6 June. It confirmed that Guerena had been shot 22 times, including one grazing shot to the head. No drugs were found in his system. The medical examiner expressed doubts that medics could have saved Guerena, even if they had reached him quickly. The report also notes that the body showed "no evidence of medical intervention."^[9]

Officers did not find any evidence related to drug trafficking at Guerena's residence. Police did report that one AR-15, one .38 handgun, body armor, and a US Border Patrol cap were confiscated, though none of these items are illegal to own.^{[6][10][11][12]} The search of three other houses and a storage unit rented by Guerena's mother as part of the same warrant discovered weapons, a bag of marijuana, a stolen vehicle, and accounting ledgers allegedly related to drug trafficking operations.^[7] As of November 7, 2011, none of these searches has yet resulted in any arrest(s).^[13]

Aftermath[link]

A computer search revealed Guerena had no history of criminal convictions.^[4] Guerena had been arrested in January 2009 after being involved in a traffic stop with two other individuals where a gun and a small amount or marijuana were found, but was not charged.^[14][15] In the affidavit filed to support the search warrant, Pima Detective Alex Tisch claimed Guerena had "five felony arrests involving drugs" but no convictions.^[16]

The Pima County Sheriff's Department claimed that this was not a no-knock search, which was supported by video evidence showing that the SWAT team attempted to make its presence known for seven seconds before knocking down the door. Audio notifications included claims of the sounding a siren in the driveway of the Guerena's residence for eight seconds, as well as shouting "Police!" and "Search warrant!" at the front door; although interviews with neighbors and Guerena's wife reported they did not hear anything. The SWAT team also was listening to music from one of the cars and possibly could not hear voices from house over it.^[2][17]

Guerena's widow states that she had no knowledge that the man she saw pointing a gun at her through the window was a police officer, and thought that he was part of a home invasion group. She has stated that two members of her sister-in-law's family were killed previously in a home invasion.^[18] As of May 2011, that case, in which Cynthia and Manny Orozco were killed and their 2-year-old daughter seriously injured, remains unsolved.^[19]

Upon request of Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, a judge sealed the search warrants as well as the documents showing what items were seized from the home. Dupnik stated this was to protect the identity of a confidential informant and criticized the press for wanting to know the details of the case.^[4][20] On June 2, 2011 the Pima County Superior Court released the warrants and other information related to the raid, but redacted some material to protect the identity of a confidential informant.^[14]

As of May 2011, members of the SWAT team retained criminal defense attorney Michael Storie to represent them. On June 13, the Pima County Attorney's Office, under county attorney Barbara LaWall, released the results of their review of the shooting, concluding that "under the circumstances, and based upon our review of all the available evidence, we have concluded that the use of deadly forces by the SWAT Team members was reasonable and justified under the law. Accordingly, the Pima County Attorney's Office finds no basis to prosecute."^[21][22]

Pima County Republican Party chairman Brian Miller questioned the killing of Guerena, and the SWAT policies that lead to it, as did former Graham County Sheriff Richard Mack, who once served with Dupnik.^[23]

Six months after the raids and the killing, none of the targets of the raids have been arrested. It was revealed that none of the suspects in the raids had been observed handling, or even near, narcotic substances, in six months of constant police surveillance.^[24]

On August 12, it was announced that the family of Jose Guerena filed an intention to sue the Pima County Sheriff Dupnik, and all the officers who shot Guerena or were part of the raid, offering to settle for $20 million. The lawsuit cites that the officers acted with negligence when they failed to announce themselves and put Guerena's wife and son in danger, and willingly deprived Guerena of medical attention after he was shot, leading up to his death, and violated his civil rights. The lawyer for the family says the lawsuit is meant to hold those accountable for Guerena's death and send a message to officers who have unlawfully killed citizens. The lawyer for the officers, however, says that the lawsuit is only to cause more hysteria and the amount is excessive since the officers had already been cleared of wrongdoing.

As the parties involved in killing Guerena did not settle, the family proceeded to file a lawsuit on November 1. The suit named Pima County, Marana, Sahuarita, Oro Valley,^[25] and all SWAT operators involved in the killing. The suit covers claims of negligence in the procurement of the search warrant, in the shooting, and in the failure to provide medical attention.^[26]

A remembrance rally was held at the home on Memorial Day to protest the killing.^[27]

See also[link]

• Berwyn Heights, Maryland mayor's residence drug raid
• List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States

References[link]

1. ^ Ex-Marine shot by SWAT has local roots
2. ^ ^{a b} Forest Carr (9 May 2011). "23 Seconds: Documents Show The May 5 SWAT Raid Moved Very Fast". KGUN9, ABC. Archived from the original on 3 July 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5zuTCDuuW. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Craig Smith (4 June 2011). "SWAT Team Believed Guerena Had Opened Fire". KGUN, ABC Tucson. http://www.kgun9.com/story/14838574/entire-swat-team-says-guerena-fired-at-them. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} Fernanda Echavarri (18 May 2011). "Sheriff’s Dept. defends SWAT shooting silence". Arizona Daily Star. http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/article_d7d979d4-f4fb-5603-af76-0bef206f8301.html. Retrieved 28 May 2011. 
5. ^ "Raw video: Sheriff's Office interview on fatal SWAT raid". KGUN9. 23 May 2011. http://www.kgun9.com/story/14643812/this-case-involves-a-narcotics-conspiracy-case-which-means-that-we-are-looking-for-a-lot-of-different-narcotics-related-material-that-can-be-drug?redirected=true. Retrieved 28 May 2011. 
6. ^ ^{a b c} "Drug Raid Turns Ugly as SWAT guns down Marine vet". Wired.com. http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/drug-raid-turns-ugly-as-swat-guns-down-marine-vet/. 
7. ^ ^{a b} Fernanda Echavarri. "Raid Stemmed from 20 mo. investigation". Arizona Daily Star. http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/article_d92dd346-f13a-5332-8981-cefd04d9fd54.html. 
8. ^ Craig Smith (27 May 2011). "911 tapes back up SWAT account of fatal raid". KGUN9. http://www.kgun9.com/story/14688966/911-tapes-back-up-swat-account-of-fatal-raid. Retrieved 28 May 2011. 
9. ^ Craig Smith (6 June 2011). "SWAT Raid Autopsy: Guerena Died Quickly From Massive Blood Loss". KGUN, ABC. http://www.kgun9.com/story/14847835/fatal-swat-raid-just-released-autopsy-details-guerenas-wounds. 
10. ^ Radley Balko (25 May 2011). "Jose Guerena Killed". Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/25/jose-guerena-arizona-_n_867020.html. 
11. ^ Ellen Tumposky (27 May 2011). "Drug SWAT Team That Gunned Down Ex-Marine Found No Drugs". ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/US/swat-team-gunned-marine-find-drugs/story?id=13702756. 
12. ^ Chuck Conder (27 May 2011). "Marine Never Fired On SWAT Officers Who Fatally Shot Him". CNN. http://articles.cnn.com/2011-05-27/justice/arizona.marine.death_1_swat-team-internal-investigation-pima-county-sheriff-s-department?_s=PM:CRIME. 
13. ^ Fernanda Echavarri (19 May 2011). "Family's lawyer: Authorities trying to discredit man". Arizona Daily Star. http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/article_54486592-8257-11e0-950b-001cc4c002e0.html. Retrieved 28 May 2011. 
14. ^ ^{a b} Craig Smith. "Warrant request says Guerena in drug ring". kGUN9. http://www.kgun9.com/story/14831993/warrant-request-says-guerena-in-drug-ring?redirected=true. Retrieved 4 June 2011. 
15. ^ Craig Smith (1 June 2011). "Guerena Had 2009 Arrest But No Formal Charges". KGUN9, ABC. http://www.kgun9.com/story/14774473/guerena-had-2009-arrest-but-no-formal-charges. 
16. ^ Alex Tisch (May 2011). "Affidavit In Support Of Search Warrant". Pima County Sheriff's Dept. http://www.kvoa.com/files/Scanned%20Document0582_000.pdf. 
17. ^ Forrest Carr (28 May 2011). "Video, info release fails to quell viewer debate over fatal SWAT raid". KGUN9. http://www.kgun9.com/story/14741675/video-info-release-fails-to-quell-viewer-debate-over-fatal-swat-raid. 
18. ^ Ellen Tomposky (20 May 2011). "Tucson SWAT Team Defends Shooting Iraq Vet 60 Times". ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/US/tucson-swat-team-defends-shooting-iraq-marine-veteran/story?id=13640112. Retrieved 28 May 2011. 
19. ^ Brian J. Pederson, Jamar Younger (31 March 2010). "Slaying of couple leaves relatives perplexed". Arizona Daily Star. http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/article_5cdff5bd-8d06-5f2b-b53f-93d067e41331.html. Retrieved 28 May 2011. 
20. ^ Forest Carr (20 May 2011). "Viewers' Voice: Sheriff chides media, KGUN9 News responds". KGUN9. http://www.kgun9.com/story/14673153/viewers-voice-sheriff-chides-media-kgun9-news-responds. Retrieved 28 May 2011. 
21. ^ Michael Truelsen (14 June 2011). "SWAT Shooting Of Guerena Ruled 'Reasonable And Justified'". KOLD, CBS Tucson. http://www.kold.com/story/14901148/swat-shooting-of-guerena-ruled-reasonable-and-justified. 
22. ^ Fernanda Echavarri (13 June 2011). "Officers In Tucson SWAT Shooting Of Ex-Marine Cleared Of Wrongdoing". Arizona Daily Star. http://azstarnet.com/news/local/article_0b5f1624-961f-11e0-a6fd-001cc4c002e0.html. 
23. ^ http://www.kgun9.com/story/14823433/swt-raid-draws-criticism-of-sheriff-dupnik
24. ^ http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/article_39e1c40f-f8c5-55b6-9ca1-7e830674d0ff.html
25. ^ http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/widow-sues-over-fatal-swat-raid-with-video-of-shooting/article_55c26da5-768d-59b9-a4e5-30edcc1592ca.html
26. ^ http://www.kvoa.com/news/14-defendants-named-in-guerena-lawsuit/
27. ^ Samantha Ptashkin (31 May 2011). "Memorial Day march against SWAT action". Fox 11 AZ. http://www.fox11az.com/news/local/Memorial-Day-march-against-SWAT-action-122875494.html. 

External links[link]

• Demand Justice for Jose Guerena
• Memorial page for Jose
• Findagrave Memorial
• Jose Guerena SWAT Raid Video From Helmet Cam
• Possible lawsuit in Tucson SWAT shooting Fox 11 Arizona
• Affidavit for Search Warrants