Police: Slain man went for officer's gun

By Tim Ellis

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

A man shot dead by a Tucson policeman first punched the officer and tried to grab his handgun, then took his baton and began to beat him with it, police said Sunday.

In explaining the Saturday night shooting, police said Officer Douglas Dreher managed to pull away, drew his handgun and ordered the assailant to drop the baton and stop, a news release issued Sunday said. It said the suspect refused, held the baton over his head and stepped toward the officer.

The officer was "fearing for his life," the release said, and fired several shots. Police spokesman Sgt. Decio Hopffer said the baton could be considered a lethal weapon.

Hopffer said the dead man is a 35-year-old resident of Magdalena, Sonora, who was in this country illegally. Police are withholding his name until relatives are notified. Magdalena is about 60 miles south of Nogales.