As was widely reported last year, the Pima County Attorney’s Office joined a nationwide program called the Public Safety Partnership involving local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies in 2022. This program continues to grow in Pima County.
By using federal statutes, the potential for greater accountability is feasible in prohibited possessor cases where a person is not lawfully allowed to own or possess a firearm. As we closed out the fiscal year, it’s estimated that in 2024, our federal partners were able to charge 60 federal prohibited possessor firearm cases through this partnership, while the Pima County Attorney’s Office charged 572 such firearms cases during that same timeframe.
Earlier this week, on June 30, 2025, the Pima County Attorney’s Office responded with the Tucson Police Department to the scene of an alleged first-degree murder near 29th Avenue and Alvernon Way in Tucson. The case is currently in the Pima County Attorney’s Office for prosecution review. Following our work on this case at PCAO, federal authorities may have legal authority to proceed with a separate federal prosecution pursuant to federal law, should they choose to do so.
County Attorney Conover shared the following, “As Pima County continues to see a significant drop in homicides, as compared to the homicide spike during the COVID years, it’s important that we stay focused on all aspects of violent crime, and the preemptive work needed to go after those who should not be in possession of firearms.”
As with all cases at this stage, we are unable to provide comment on the specific details of the case but rest assured that the case is in the hands of the same Major Crimes Team at PCAO that is on a significant run of complex, high-profile trial wins.
Media Contact: Shawndrea Thomas
Director of Communications
Pima County Attorney’s Office
(520) 724-5738 (Office)
(520) 310-4720 (Mobile)
Shawndrea.Thomas@pcao.pima.gov
