Tucson mayor stands by police chief after man dies in police custody
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero announced Thursday that she will not accept the resignation of Police Chief Chris Magnus, who resigned Wednesday after a man died in police custody. In April, 27-year-old Carlos Ingram-Lopez was killed after he was restrained in a prone position for approximately 12 minutes.
"In this moment, my focus is on the fact that the life of a fellow Tucsonan, Carlos Adrian Ingram-Lopez, was needlessly lost. The Chief's abrupt announcement at the press conference yesterday should not take away from that," Romero said, adding, "By city charter, it is the City Manager's responsibility to accept resignations or fire Department Directors. After listening to the feedback of my colleagues on the Council, I do not believe the Chief should resign."
Romero added that Magnus has "brought forward-thinking changes to TPD policies, practices and trainings, and has built strong relationships with our community" since joining the department in 2016.
"Now is the time to work together and rebuild public trust in our police department by increasing transparency, ensuring accountability, and re-imagining how we provide safety to our community," she said. "I look forward to working with Chief Magnus to accomplish these reforms."
During the Wednesday press conference in which he announced his resignation, Magnus said "the officers restrained Mr. Ingram-Lopez in a prone position for about 12 minutes," adding that "Mr. Ingram-Lopez went into cardiac arrest and, despite the officers' attempts to revive him, was declared deceased at the scene by Emergency Medical Services personnel."
The county medical examiner concluded that he died of sudden cardiac arrest with acute cocaine intoxication and an enlarged heart, CBS affiliate KOLD-TV reported.
"We have determined that three involved officers committed multiple policy violations and failed to handle the incident consistent with their training," Magnus said.
The three officers who arrested Ingram-Lopez resigned on June 18. They have not been charged in his death.
Jordan Freiman contributed reporting.
