Scottsdale police officer party to 6 shootings
by Ofelia Madrid - Mar. 4, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
The Scottsdale police officer who last month shot and killed a man suspected in a string of bank robberies was involved in five previous shootings, including four fatalities, police have confirmed.
Officer James Peters had been on administrative reassignment since shortly after the Feb. 17 incident, but has since been assigned back to his regular duties as the investigation into the latest shooting continues, police confirmed.
Peters is a detective assigned to a special unit that deals with the arrest of suspected felons, many considered violent offenders.
He has been involved in about 300 felon arrests during his 10-year career with Scottsdale police, said Sgt. Mark Clark, a police spokesman.
Since 2002, Peters has been involved in six shootings, including the latest.
Last May, the city settled with the family in one of those fatal shootings for $75,000 but denied liability.
In another case, he was honored for his actions in responding to a hostage incident.
Scottsdale Police Chief Alan Rodbell said he could not comment on Peters' most recent shooting because it still is under investigation. However, Rodbell noted that each of Peters' past five shootings was determined to be justified.
"Every time an incident like this occurs, whether (Peters) or somebody else, we closely scrutinize their actions to make sure they are appropriate," Rodbell said.
When an officer uses deadly force, the incident is reviewed by a shooting detective, and internal-affairs detectives conduct a separate investigation, Clark said.
It also is reviewed by the city attorney, human-resources department and eventually by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, he added.
Peters confronts violent felons on a regular basis. He is part of the SWAT team, has special tactical training and has more exposure to potentially violent confrontations with suspects than other officers might have, Rodbell said.
But police have made adjustments to his assignment in the past.
After one of Peters' previous shootings, he asked to be reassigned as a trainer at the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy, which trains new recruits.
Peters did that for about a year, Rodbell said.
"If this man has done what's been required of his job, legally, lawfully and appropriately, the public should feel comfortable that we're paying attention," Rodbell said.
In the Feb. 17 shooting, Peters and Scottsdale Detective Scott Galbraith shot Jimmy Hammack Jr., 46, after Hammack drove his truck toward detectives who were investigating him as a suspect in three Scottsdale bank robberies and two in Phoenix. Hammack later died from his injuries.
Peters also was involved in these previous shooting incidents, police confirmed:
• Nov. 3, 2002: Peters was one of three SWAT officers who fired at Albert H. Redford after a nearly four-hour standoff at his north Scottsdale home.
Officers had been called out for a report of domestic violence. Officers fired a total of seven shots, striking Redford three times.
• March 25, 2003: Peters shot and killed disbarred lawyer Brent B. Bradshaw, 47, of Scottsdale. Officers responded to shotgun blasts at Bradshaw's home. Three hours later, police found Bradshaw wandering along the Arizona Canal at Miller and Chaparral roads, carrying a shotgun. Officers tried unsuccessfully to get him to put down the gun.
• Oct. 10, 2005: Peters shot and killed Mark Wesley Smith, a burglary suspect, during a confrontation outside an auto-body shop near Hayden and McKellips roads. Smith was smashing car windows in a rage outside the body shop. Autopsy reports would later show that he was high on methamphetamine.
• April 23, 2006: Peters shot and killed Brian Daniel Brown, 28, who took a Safeway employee hostage after he hijacked a Krispy Kreme delivery truck in Peoria. Peters received a Medal of Valor for this incident in June 2007.
• Aug. 30, 2006: Peters and Officer Tom Myers fatally shot Kevin Hutchings after Hutchings fired at least one round at police outside his northeast Mesa home. Scottsdale police were trying to contact Hutchings about a Scottsdale assault earlier that evening with a longtime acquaintance of Hutchings. Hutchings' family sued the city and eventually settled out of court for the $75,000, city officials said.
