***OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING
4800 BLOCK OF EAST 29TH STREET***
On August 20, 2021, at approximately 2:30 p.m., officers from Operations Division Midtown/Community Response Team (CRT) were in the area of 4800 E. 29th Street. ODM/CRT Officers were working in a plainclothes capacity, driving unmarked police vehicles. The sergeant assigned to ODM/CRT, was sitting in his unmarked police vehicle - in a parking lot north of the street. While the sergeant was in his vehicle, a male was seen walking near him. As the male was walking by the sergeant’s vehicle, there was a brief interaction between the two. Immediately following their initial interaction, the male pulled out a semi-automatic handgun, and there was an exchange of gunfire between the sergeant and the male suspect. The suspect then ran south across E. 29th Street to an apartment complex - where responding officers took him into custody. Officers observed that the suspect sustained gunshot trauma and immediately began rendering aid. Tucson Fire Department personnel responded to the scene and transported the suspect to a local hospital where he received treatment for non-life-threatening injuries. Investigators identified the suspect as 26-year-old Zachary Oscar Lee. Thankfully, no other community members or officers were injured at the scene.
Detectives from the Tucson Police Violent Crimes Unit, along with sergeants and detectives with the department’s Office of Professional Standards (OPS), responded to continue the investigation. The Violent Crimes Unit is conducting the criminal portion of the investigation. Additionally, OPS is conducting a separate, but parallel administrative investigation to examine the actions of TPD personnel. This is standard protocol in all officer-involved shootings. The sergeant involved in the shooting is Sergeant Lorence Jove, a nine-year veteran of the Tucson Police Department.
Upon release from the hospital, the suspect was booked into the Pima County Jail and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm within the city limits. As the investigation continues, additional updates will be provided.
