Another Arizona Officer Shot by a Mexican National; when do we say enough is enough?

April 17, 2003

From: "highlander.56" <mailto:highlander.56@cox.net>

It just keeps happening and we don't learn..........

On Saturday a Phoenix Police Officer was shot four times by Francisco Gallardo, a Mexican National who had already finished serving a 7 year sentence in prison here in Arizona. He was supposed to be deported by INS, yet he made his way back to Phoenix and committed another violent felony.
The Officer is in critical ciondition but is expected to survive.

Does this open anyone's eyes concerning ILLEGALS ??? This man is a Mexican National who was here for one purpose, to commit criminal acts. Just like the Illegal Mexican Nationals that were arrested last month with over 3000 lbs of drugs in the west valley. Just like the Illegal Mexican Nationals who
were using a house by the Arizona State Capitol last year to run a distribution point for cocaine.

When are the people of Arizona going to wake up and see that such actions like that of State politician Rios of the Hayden District to offer these Illegals such amenities as Drivers Licenses and other forms of Identification only adds to the problems and directly contributes to the killing and wounding of Arizona Law Enforcement officers.

Remember the 09/11 hijackers used Drivers Licenses as identification to board the aircraft that they used to crash into buildings and kill thousands. Identification that Senator Rios wants to give to Illegals who settle in Phoenix.

The officers listed below are two examples of how our open border and lack of security has caused the loss of two men that were here to protect you and I. They are examples of how efforts by Arizona Senator Pete Rios are making it easy for these killers and criminals to enter our country and dispense
death and heartache. It is time to let Senator Rios know that we as Arizonan Citizens do not want to make it any easier to allow Mexican Nationals and other ILLEGAL Immigrants to enter our country and kill our officers.

Call him @ 602 542-5685 or fax him @ 602 417 3167 and tell him we do not want any more legislation tacked on to bills (unsuspectingly) that allows this to continue. Tell him that there are no such people as "undocumented workers", only ILLEGAL Aliens that commit a crime just by coming here outside of normal immigration policies and laws. Tell him that we are not subject to the wants and wishes of Mexican President Vincente Fox. If he does not listen, we can mount a campaign to vote him out of office in the next election.

Ask him to remember the officers below.

The Officer Down Memorial Page remembers...
<http://www.odmp.org/officer.php?oid=15232>http://www.odmp.org/officer.php?oid=15232


Police Officer Marc Todd Atkinson
Phoenix Police Department, AZ
End of Watch: Friday, March 26, 1999


Biographical Info
Age: 28
Tour of Duty: 5 yr
Badge Number: 5930

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Friday, March 26, 1999
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Three suspects arrested

Officer Atkinson was shot and killed after being ambushed by suspected drug traffickers. Officer Atkinson was driving a marked patrol car while following the suspects, who turned a corner, stopped their vehicle, and waited for Officer Atkinson. As he turned the corner the three suspects opened fire, striking him twice in the head, killing him. A citizen who witnessed the incident engaged the suspects in a gunfight with his own weapon, seriously wounding one. The other two suspects fled but were later arrested. Officer Atkinson is survived by his wife and six-month-old child.


Park Ranger Kristopher William Eggle
<http://www.odmp.org/officer.php?oid=16353>http://www.odmp.org/officer.php?oid=16353

United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service, US
End of Watch: Friday, August 9, 2002

Biographical Info
Age: 27
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: 1207

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Friday, August 9, 2002
State of Incident: Arizona
Weapon Used: Rifle; AK-47
Suspect Info: Shot and killed

Ranger Eggle was shot and killed while he and several U.S. Border Patrol Agents attempted to apprehended two armed, illegal aliens who had fled from Mexican authorities into Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona, at 1400 hours. The Mexican authorities called the Border Patrol and notified of them of the suspects. A Border Patrol helicopter in the area located the suspects and directed Ranger Eggle and Border Patrol Agents to the area.

One of the suspects was apprehended without incident but the second suspect opened fire with an AK-47 assault rifle, striking Ranger Eggle below his vest, causing a fatal wound. The suspect then fled on foot south towards the Mexican border. He ran to approximately fifty yards from the border, where approximately 30 to 50 Mexican officers from numerous agencies opened fire from Mexico killing the suspect. A medivac helicopter was sent to scene but Ranger Eggle had already succumbed to his wounds.

Ranger Eggle was a recent recipient of Director's Award at FLETC. He is survived by his parents and sister, who is also a law enforcement ranger for the Park Service.

Phoenix Police Officer Robert Sitek survived his attack, how long are we going to allow this to continue here in Arizona and elsewhere in our country?


City Officer Badly Hurt In Shooting
Suspect Dead In Gunbattle; Motive Unclear
<http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0414copshot14.html>http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0414copshot14.html

Apr. 14, 2003 12:00 AM
Sean L. McCarthy, The Arizona Republic

Robert Sitek is trying to survive every police officer's nightmare.

Sitek, a Phoenix patrol officer, 35, faces his second lifesaving surgery today at Maricopa Medical Center after a Saturday-night traffic stop became a shootout that left the suspect dead.

Dr. Brian Prebil said Sitek "remains in very critical condition."

Sitek's heart briefly stopped before doctors stabilized him and removed part of his colon and small intestine.

He was shot four times: twice in the lower-right abdomen less than an inch below his protective vest, once in his left femur and once in his left hand.

Prebil said Sitek was "in a medically induced coma" on Sunday and will undergo further surgery today.

Phoenix police still don't know the identity of the man who shot Sitek or why he shot at Sitek and his partner, Officer David Thwing.

Thwing killed the man, described as being in his early 20s, after a brief chase and gunbattle outside two apartment complexes. The man died at the scene from a gunshot wound to the head. Thwing was not hurt.

Detective Tony Morales said the incident began at 11:20 Saturday night along Roosevelt Street. Police and witnesses gave this account:

Sitek and Thwing, partners and friends since attending the police academy and joining the force two years ago, spotted a 2000 red Chevrolet pickup driving erratically near Roosevelt and 22nd streets and followed it.

The driver speeded up, turning north onto dead-end 22nd Place, swerving left past the cul-de-sac into the driveway for four duplexes, stopping at a chain-link fence.

Sitek opened his passenger's door and immediately found himself under fire. The suspect turned and jumped a fence. Thwing quickly followed. He and the suspect traded gunfire for what Margaret Rodriguez said seemed like five to 10 minutes.

The shooting occurred just outside the home of Rodriguez's daughter-in-law.

"We were inside the house. We had just come back from the pizza parlor," Rodriguez said. "We kept the kids in the room, down low. It was a lot of gunfire. We didn't even keep track."

Police said the suspect's weapon appeared to be a .380 automatic.

By Sunday, someone had placed a candle and a picture of the Virgin Mary by the resting spot of the suspect's body, a hundred feet from the site of the gunbattle. Police had moved the body there to secure the crime scene.

The truck had plates and registration, but Morales said, "We don't know what connection he had to the truck."

The shootout occurred two blocks from the hospital.

Prebil said Sitek is fortunate to be alive. The two bullets that entered his abdomen damaged the main vein that carries blood from his lower body.

"That's usually a very poor prognosis," Prebil said. "The fact that he's made it this far . . . it bodes well."

Sitek is single; his only Valley relative, a cousin, is John Pazell, an orthopedic surgeon.

Pazell said Sitek originally moved to the Valley to work for Northwest Airlines but decided to become a police officer. Sitek's parents arrived from Michigan on Sunday.

An Arizona Republic analysis earlier this year showed that police officers are more likely to be involved in deadly encounters with suspects in Phoenix than in any other of the nation's 10 largest cities.

Since 1996, three officers Valley-wide have died confronting suspects. The most recent Phoenix officer to die on duty was Officer Wayne Scott, killed in a traffic accident in September 2002.

Police Chief Harold Hurtt applauded Sitek and Thwing for making sure no one in the heavily populated neighborhood was hurt.

The police ranks have rallied around Sitek.

"He's got a lot of people pulling for him and a lot of people praying for him," Hurtt said.

Morales said the "massive and instant" support network began immediately after the shooting, with 50 to 60 officers responding and several staying at the hospital overnight with Sitek.

The department has a "critical incident stress team" of on-call volunteers, officers and chaplains available to comfort relatives and co-workers of fallen officers.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0414copshot14.html

J M Ferguson
SAEPE EXPERTUS, SEMPER FIDELIS, FRATRES AETERNI
("Often Tested, Always Faithful, Brothers Forever")