Death by Cop 2021-2025
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Lisa Bernadette Garcia
Age : 52
Gender : Female
Race : Latino/a/e
Date : 09/03/2021
Location : 7500 E. Harvard Avenue
City : Denver
County : Arapahoe
State : Colorado
Agency : Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office
Officer(s) :Joseph Hallett; Tyler Zimmerman
Cause of Death : Gunshot
Event : Killed by police during surveillance operation
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 09/03/2021, 52-year-old Lisa Garcia was shot and killed by Arapahoe County Sheriff’s deputies Joseph Hallett and Tyler Zimmerman at the Ivy Crossing Apartments in the 7500 block of East Harvard Avenue. Denver police were seeking Garcia on a first-degree murder warrant in the July 24 shooting death of her relative, 41-year-old Neomi Tafoya. A Crime Stoppers tip led investigators to Garcia’s location. Arapahoe County’s Special Response Team was asked to assist with her arrest.
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Deputies positively identified Garcia during surveillance and approached her outside the apartment complex. Garcia ran. Body-camera footage recorded a deputy ordering her to stop and a female voice saying, “I've got a gun.” Garcia then removed a black handgun from her purse.
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According to the subsequent district attorney investigation and body-camera evidence, Garcia turned toward Hallett and pointed the handgun at him with both hands in a shooting stance. Hallett dropped to a kneeling position and fired his rifle. Zimmerman reported seeing Garcia raise the handgun toward Hallett and fired two rifle rounds from approximately 25 yards away.
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Hallett and Zimmerman fired a combined nine rounds. Garcia fell facedown with the handgun and her hands beneath her body. Deputy Justin Yantiss subsequently fired two 40mm less-lethal impact rounds at Garcia when she did not comply with commands to show her hands. Deputies then approached and attempted first aid. Garcia died at the scene.
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The weapon Garcia pointed at deputies was subsequently determined to be an airsoft pistol. It was black, metallic-looking and lacked an orange tip.
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The autopsy found gunshot wounds to Garcia’s chest, shoulder, neck and fingers and determined that she died from gunshot wounds.
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The 18th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team investigated the shooting. Aurora Police Detective Eric White served as lead investigator. The investigation included body-camera footage, officer interviews, ballistic evidence and autopsy findings.
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On 12/27/2021, the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office ruled the shooting legally justified. Prosecutors concluded that Hallett and Zimmerman reasonably believed Garcia presented an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury when she pointed what appeared to be a handgun at Hallett. Neither deputy was criminally charged. Yantiss’s subsequent use of the 40mm less-lethal rounds was also found reasonable.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Joseph Hallett and Tyler Zimmerman were the deputies who fired the fatal rifle rounds. Justin Yantiss fired the two less-lethal 40mm rounds after Garcia was already on the ground.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.denverpost.com/2021/09/04/araphahoe-county-deputies-shoot-kill-woman-denver/
https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/araphahoe-county-deputies-shoot-kill-woman-denver/
https://arapahoeco.gov/Coda18/Documents/Blogs/OIS-Hallett_Redacted.pdf
