By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – The family of the man shot by Pima County deputies during a swatting situation is speaking out, and only to 13 News.
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23-year-old Axeel Melendez is confined to a wheelchair and paralyzed from the chest down following the April 10 incident. They said he is still recovering from a recent surgery and was not yet up to talking to 13 News himself.
The PCSD had said Axeel’s injuries were not life-threatening and that three deputies suffered minor injuries that were not related to the shooting.
Axeel’s mother, Carmen, and his sister, Jocelyn, said the situation could and should have been prevented. They are asking for accountability and hope to get more answers about what happened.
“It’s every day for me to wake up and think, ‘Oh, it was a nightmare,’ and wake up and say, ‘No, that was real.’ I saw everything, I was there,” said Carmen, who was in the room with her son moments before the shooting.
GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING
On Tuesday, June 23, the Pima Regional Critical Incident Team released its video report about the incident that ended with Axeel being shot.
You can watch it in the video player below.
HACKERS MAKE GOOD ON THREATS
Lynne Cadigan, the family’s attorney, showed 13 News’ Raya Torres the report from a 911 call Axeel made just days before he was shot.
According to that report, Axeel reached out to the PCSD on April 8. He said he had been hacked, and the criminals behind it were threatening to swat him if he didn’t pay up.
The reports stats that shortly after Alex made the call, someone from outside the country claimed that Axeel was harassing people and abusing women.
The deputy confirmed that it was a false report and told Axeel that “since he called law enforcement to get ahead of the false reporting, he should be all right.”
The deputy finally told Axeel that it was going to be “all right” and that if any more reports were made, “there was nothing to worry about.”
It is unclear if the deputies who responded to the Melendez’s home on April 10 knew about the previous report. It is also unclear if the operators who took the fake 911 call or those who dispatched deputies to the scene knew about the situation.
“So he calls 911, like a good boy, believing in the system, and says someone’s trying to get me in trouble and get me swatted,” Cadigan said. “The 911 call, which I have here, the transcript, they said, ‘No worries, we won’t do that. Now that you’ve called and told us, if someone tries to swat you, we won’t come to your house, you’ll be safe.’”
FAKE 911 CALL LEADS TO SHOOTING
The incident began on April 10, when someone claiming to be Axeel called 311.
The caller claimed Axeel’s father shot his younger sister. While the incident is still under investigation, PRCIT confirmed Axeel was not the caller, and it was likely a swatting incident.
But deputies did not know that at the time, so they responded to the family’s home in the 1000 block of East Fenley Drive, which is near South Nogales Highway and Old Vail Road.
According to the body camera video, deputies twice knocked on the front door and announced that they were from the PCSD. No one came to the door, so deputies were not able to get inside.
They then tried the back door, but were also not able to get in.
A deputy then grabbed a shovel and broke a window in a room in the back of the home. A deputy went into the room while another waited outside.
The deputies can be heard saying, “Sheriff’s Department, come out with and show us your hands.”
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Axeel, who was armed and behind a door in the room, can be heard screaming something that is inaudible before the deputies opened fire.
The deputy who was inside the home fired first, followed by the deputy who remained outside.
It is unclear if Melendez ever fired his gun or if he pointed at deputies, as it was a very quick interaction. The deputy fired less than five seconds after entering the room.
The deputies who fired their weapons have been identified as Santiago Casillas-Velazquez, a three-year veteran of the PCSD, and Andres Vasquez, a two-year veteran.
As is normal, PRCIT was activated to handle the criminal investigation. The Tucson Police Department will lead that investigation. The PCSD will also investigate, but only to see if the deputies followed department policies.
The findings from the PRCIT investigation will be turned over to the Pima County Attorney’s Office.
TERRIBLE SITUATION
Carmen said she and her son believed that there were intruders when they heard the window shatter. She said she called 911, and while on the phone with the dispatcher, she heard multiple shots.
“I walked towards my son, he was on the floor,” Carmen said. “He said, ‘I love you, mom.’ And I saw the window, and all the officers were standing there. Everything was full with glass, the floor. Nobody said nothing to me.”
Axeel was shot multiple times, with bullets tearing through his shoulder, collarbone, and hips.
Axeel‘s sister, Jocelyn Melendez Davis, said her family wants accountability.
“(The deputies) should be held to the highest standard, because you can, in a split second, you can alter someone’s life,” she said. “My brother deserves justice. My brother has been done a great disservice by people that are, like I said, have taken an oath to protect and serve him.”
SHERIFF NANOS RESPONDS
13 News reporter Raya Torres asked Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos if he was aware of the details.
He declined to comment, stating he wanted to preserve the integrity of the investigation before he commented.
That is normal in any shooting involving law enforcement, and Nanos has been consistent in declining to comment until an investigation or case is complete.
“I’ll let the investigation work its way through. It will be presented to us. At that time, we’ll have a better look and better idea and understanding of what happened,” Nanos said.
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