Bradley A. Lewis

Date: 1/20/2021                      Location: Tuscon AZ             FACTORS (1,2,3,5,8,10,12,19)        

Name: Bradley Alexander Lewis                               

Criminal History/Involved: Yes, he had an extensive record including weapons and drugs charges./Yes, besides being wanted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, Lewis was suspected of attempting to burglarize cars on the morning of the shooting.        

Mental Illness: Unknown/None reported

Substance Abuse History/Involved: Yes, Lewis had prior drug related arrests./Yes, “a significant amount of dangerous drugs were discovered in Lewis’ vehicle”.

Race/Sex/Age: White/Male/19

Officer(s) involved: Pima County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Gilbert Caudillo                        

What prompted the initial contact with police? At approximately 3:30 a.m. on January 20, 2021, police responded to a 911 call of attempted motor vehicle break-ins by an unknown male. The male, Bradley Lewis, was gone when police arrived, but they tracked him down a few hours later and attempted to stop him in his vehicle.

Actions taken by subject towards police: Lewis refused to pull over, taking deputies on a short chase before ramming one of their vehicles, exiting his vehicle “with a dark object in his hand” and “charged” at Deputy Caudillo.

Reactions by the police: Aware Lewis had previous weapons offenses and “was a suspect for allegedly pointing a gun at someone”, and not knowing what the unpredictable man was holding in his hand while charging at him, Deputy Caudillo shot Lewis, killing him.

Outcome of investigation into the fatal police incident: Incident is still being investigated.

What could the subject have done that day to still be alive today? Lewis could have: not gave the impression he was preparing to burglarize automobiles in the neighborhood; pulled over when the deputies signaled for him to do so; not ram his vehicle into one of the deputies vehicles; not exit his vehicle and hold an object making it appear like a weapon as he charged at the deputy.

Miscellaneous: The object Lewis was holding ended up being a key FOB.

Justified Use of Deadly Force? YES, Lewis was a known violent criminal with a proclivity for weapons and pointing them at people. When Lewis refused to comply with the deputies lawful orders and exited his vehicle to charge at Deputy Caudillo while making it appear like he had some kind of weapon, he gave the deputy reasonable fear to believe his life was in danger and justifiably use deadly force to stop Lewis.