The fiancé of a man shot by Mesa police using bean bag rounds in front of his children while serving a warrant on Thursday held a news conference alongside an attorney and pastor to decry what each of them described as the department's "excessive force."
Video shared on social media Thursday showed 26-year-old Lorenzo Jones on a sidewalk at an apartment complex at about 6:30 p.m. alongside his fiancé Tenisha Gaston and their children. Police can be heard ordering Jones to put his hands up.
He hands the child he is carrying to Gaston and speaks with her for a few moments before a shot is fired, striking Jones. Gaston moves the children away from him and after a few moments, additional bean bag shots are fired.
Buta department spokeswoman said officers were told Jones had a gun and were on "high alert." Jones was not complying and that they deployed non-lethal force to get Jones to comply once the children were out of his immediate vicinity.
Mesa Police Chief Ken Cost said the shooting is being reviewed by the department and asked the public to consider the context of the incident before making judgments.
Gaston says kids are 'traumatized'
Pastor Andre Miller was first to speak at the news conference Friday, saying Jones "did not appear to be a threat" and that many in the community have questions and are demanding answers about the incident.
Miller, along with attorney Benjamin Taylor, said Mesa police used excessive force on Jones.
"Mesa police has a history of harassing the community, of harassing their own citizens," Taylor said, also calling for an investigation into the officers who fired at Jones.
Gaston, holding one of her and Jones' children, tearfully spoke about the incident, calling Jones a "good man."
She said she, Jones and their children were in their apartment when they heard commands from police for everybody to leave the apartment with their hands up.
Gaston said she told Jones to comply with police demands and that he agreed with her, and that that exchange between them is what was captured on the video. She said police gave no warnings that they were going to fire bean bag shots, and that she didn't immediately know whether the rounds were lethal or non-lethal.
"This is unbelievable," she said. "My 2-year-old son sat there and said 'I don't want to go to jail.' My 2-year-old shouldn't be saying nothing like that."
Gaston said she and Jones have five children, and that each of them are "traumatized" by the incident.
"There was no need for him to be shot in front of his children," Taylor said.
He said it's unclear who told police Jones had a gun but said that no weapons were found in the search of the home. Mesa Police Chief Ken Cost later told The Arizona Republic he could not confirm whether a weapon was recovered.
Taylor said they are gathering evidence and waiting for more records about the incident to be released before they decide whether to file a formal complaint against the police department.
Miller said he and other community leaders have requested a meeting with Cost to discuss the matter.
Jones remained in custody as of late Friday afternoon.
Police: Jones assaulted woman, child and officer
Arrest records obtained by The Republic on Friday said police responded to a domestic violence call near 41st Street and Broadway Road on July 6.
Mesa police spokeswoman Irene Mahoney said Jones hit his girlfriend's sister and then proceeded to hit and punch her pre-teen son when he tried to defend her.
Jones fled the scene and "violently" assaulted an officer before being taken into custody, the record said. Mahoney said Jones punched the officer in the head.
He was eventually arrested but later released after paying a $5,000 bond, Mahoney said.
Mahoney said Jones did not show up for a status conference on July 12 and court records show a judge then issued a warrant for his arrest on July 13.
Cost said that warrant was signed for Jones' alleged possession of a gun and the two aggravated assault charges.
The search warrant was conducted on Thursday at around 6:30 p.m.
"It's not something any officers take lightly in any situation, any use of force, but I think the officers were really composed," Mahoney said. "They were issuing very clear commands to him, he chose to ignore those commands, they were concerned for his family, his kids who were there ... that's what they were working off of."
The arrest record said a "usable quantity" of marijuana was later found in Jones' bedroom and that he does not have a medical marijuana card.
Chief: 'You have to put contexts and fact to it'
Police Chief Ken Cost, in an interview with The Republic Friday afternoon, said a "thorough review process" is launched any time force is used by an officer.
Cost said the department prioritizes transparency and asked that the public "trust the fact that our system is in place to look at this in its entirety."
He added, though, that the department is "not making any judgments right now."
"You have to put contexts and facts to it," Cost said, mentioning the felony aggravated assault charges and belief that Jones had a gun. "The fact is this is arguably one of the most dangerous situations an officer can go into ... this is not going after a shoplift suspect or something that's very minor, this is a very serious situation for our officers."
Cost addressed those questioning the officer's decision to shoot Jones in front of his children by saying the officers present were concerned for their welfare given Jones' charge of assaulting a child.
He said he's "confident" that the department's review process will answer questions that still lingered Friday afternoon.
"I want the community to understand that, despite everything that's going on, you need to understand that we are transparent," he said. "We look into these, we're very serious about our review policy and procedure and we'll look at this in its totality and we'll make a decision."
Cost said the department would address the public with its findings once the investigation concludes.
Reach the reporter at bfrank@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8529. Follow her on Twitter @brieannafrank.
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