TUCSON, ARIZONA – March 2, 2021 – It has been reported that the Pima County Attorney’s Office has completed its investigation into the Jan. 20 officer-involved shooting of Bradley “Alex” Lewis, 19, and declined to pursue charges against the sheriff’s deputy who shot Mr. Lewis.
PCAO confirms the case was investigated by an experienced and well-respected PCAO staff attorney, whose opinion is that no charges against the deputy are warranted. Unfortunately, that decision was communicated to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, the media and, subsequently, Mr. Lewis’ family without further review by PCAO senior leadership, including Pima County Attorney Laura Conover. Neither Laura nor her leadership team had been notified of the PCAO staff attorney’s opinion in the case prior to this morning, after the media had already reported the staff attorney’s conclusions.
After the tragic events last year that led to protests across Pima County and the nation, it was made clear that the public demands and deserves greater accountability from law enforcement and elected officials regarding officer-involved use-of-force. Laura has always promised transparency and accountability. Thus, all such incidents will be reviewed by PCAO senior leadership, including Laura, before charging decisions are deemed final.
As such, Laura has communicated to Eduardo Coronado, the Lewis family’s attorney, that this case remains under review.