Search fatalities

Richard Lee Richards

Age : 61

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 11/29/2021

Location : Lowe’s Home Improvement, 1800 W. Valencia Road

City : Tucson

County : Pima

State : Arizona

Agency : Tucson Police Department

Officer(s) :Ryan Remington

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during attempted detention for alleged shoplifting

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 11/29/2021, Tucson Police Department Officer Ryan Remington shot and killed Richard Lee Richards, 61, as Richards drove a motorized mobility scooter toward the garden-center entrance of a Lowe’s Home Improvement store at 1800 W. Valencia Road in Tucson. Remington fired nine rounds at Richards from behind and to his side. The Pima County Attorney’s Office later reported that eight rounds struck Richards. He died at the scene.
.
The encounter began at a nearby Walmart, where Remington was working an off-duty security assignment. A Walmart employee told Remington that Richards had allegedly taken a toolbox without paying. The employee followed Richards into the parking lot and asked to see a receipt. According to police, Richards displayed a knife and continued away from the Walmart in his mobility scooter.
.
Remington and the Walmart employee followed Richards through the shopping-center parking area for approximately five minutes and about 1,000 feet as Richards traveled toward the neighboring Lowe’s. Police alleged that Richards continued holding the knife and did not comply with commands to surrender it. Tucson Police Officer Stephanie Taylor subsequently arrived and also followed Richards toward the Lowe’s entrance.
.
Body-camera and surveillance video documented the final encounter. As Richards approached the Lowe’s garden center in his mobility scooter, Remington ordered him not to enter the store. Richards continued forward with his back substantially toward Remington. Remington then fired nine rounds in rapid succession. Richards fell from the scooter, and officers subsequently handcuffed him.
.
Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus publicly condemned Remington’s actions the following day, stating that the use of deadly force violated department policy and contradicted the department’s use-of-force training. The department initiated termination proceedings immediately after the killing, and Remington was formally fired in January 2022.
.
The Pima County Attorney’s Office conducted an extended criminal investigation. On 08/24/2022, a grand jury indicted Remington on a manslaughter charge. Richards’ estate also filed a federal civil-rights and wrongful-death lawsuit against Remington and the City of Tucson.
.
The first indictment was later returned to the grand-jury process after Remington successfully challenged the original presentation. A second grand jury declined to indict him in 2023, and prosecutors dismissed the criminal case without prejudice while considering another presentation.
.
The Pima County Attorney’s Office presented the shooting to a third grand jury in January 2025. That grand jury also declined to indict Remington. Prosecutors then announced that they would close the criminal case and would not seek another review. The County Attorney reported that Richards had remained seated in his powered wheelchair when Remington fired nine shots, eight of which struck Richards in the side and back.
.
The federal civil-rights litigation continued. In December 2025, a federal judge denied Remington’s motion for summary judgment on the claims against him, allowing the excessive-force and wrongful-death claims to proceed, while granting summary judgment to the City of Tucson on separate disability-related claims. Remington subsequently appealed, and the federal appellate docket remained active in 2026.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Ryan Remington was identified as the Tucson Police Department officer who killed Richards. The department determined that his actions violated its deadly-force policies and training and fired him following the shooting.
.
Remington was criminally indicted for manslaughter in 2022. After that indictment was set aside, two subsequent grand juries declined to indict him. The Pima County Attorney’s Office closed its criminal prosecution in January 2025 following the third grand-jury presentation.
.
Richards’ estate separately alleged in federal court that Remington used excessive force and wrongfully caused Richards’ death. In December 2025, the federal district court denied Remington summary judgment on the claims against him, leaving those claims for further proceedings.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/12/01/richard-lee-richards-tucson-police-shooting/
https://tucson.com/news/local/tucson-police-move-to-fire-officer-who-killed-man-in-a-motorized-wheelchair/article_149fb02a-51fa-11ec-897c-eb64beb38b9e.html
https://news.azpm.org/p/news-articles/2021/11/30/203973-tps-officer-kills-man-in-wheelchair/
https://tucson.com/news/local/tucson-police-officer-who-shot-and-killed-man-in-a-wheelchair-has-been-fired/article_f41668b2-6e5a-11ec-8b1d-4799d02eacc4.html
https://www.pcao.pima.gov/community-newsletter-archives-august-2022/
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/arizona/azdce/4%3A2022cv00429/1310893/20/
https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/case-against-former-tpd-officer-accused-of-killing-man-in-motorized-scooter-dismissed-without-prejudice
https://www.pcao.pima.gov/community-newsletter-archives-january-2025/
https://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/arizona/azdce/4%3A2022cv00429/1310893/141
https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca9/25-8133