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Illegal Gets 51
Years For Shooting Deputies
By Gary Grado, Tribune
June 21, 2005
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=43360
An illegal immigrant from Mexico was
sentenced Monday to 51 years in prison for wounding two Maricopa County
sheriff’s deputies in a shootout in December.
Prosecutors sought a 63-year sentence
for Jorge Guerra-Vargas, who said in Maricopa County Superior Court that he
fired on a seven member Special Weapons and Tactics team not knowing they
were cops.
"I thought they were thieves. I was scared," Vargas said through an
interpreter.
Vargas pleaded guilty May 2 to three counts of aggravated assault.
A sheriff’s SWAT unit was serving a search warrant Dec. 16 at a trailer home
in a county island in Mesa when Vargas opened fire with a 9 mm handgun after
the unit busted in and threw open a curtain used as a room divider.
Sean Pearce, son of Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, was shot in the stomach and
Lew Argetsinger was shot in the hand. Rod Jackson was shot in the chest, but
his body armor and a magazine of ammunition stopped the bullet.
Each deputy told Judge David Talamante about how they have been affected by
the firefight, which took place in close, darkened quarters.
"For the rest of our lives, we’ll carry this with us," Argetsinger said.
Jackson said he caught a glimpse of Vargas taking cover as Pearce opened the
curtain, but he restrained himself from shooting the man because for that
instant Jackson didn’t consider him a threat.
But in the next second, Pearce was yelling that he’d been shot and Jackson
saw Pearce going down out of the corner of his eye.
Jackson also felt the impact of the bullet.
"I go, ‘Wow, I think I got shot,’" Jackson said.
Deputy James Alger remembered the sound of passing bullets and felt the
sting of fragments.
Jackson ended it by shooting Vargas.
"That was the longest eight to 10 seconds of my life," he said.
Talamante said Vargas deserved a harsh sentence and that Talamante didn’t
buy Vargas’ claim that he didn’t know he was shooting at deputies. |
