Buckeye Police Department, Christopher Paz, Rolando Tirado Buckeye Police Department
Buckeye Police Department said that officers Christopher Paz (left) and Rolando Tirado were shot in Phoenix Saturday night while working a security detail. Tirado died from his wounds Buckeye police Officer Rolando Tirado had no warning before he was fatally shot from behind Sunday in Phoenix. Tirado and Buckeye Officer Christopher Paz were working off-duty as security officers, dressed in police uniforms and protective vests, at El Gran Mercado, 1800 S. 35th Ave., when they stopped a Chevrolet Tahoe with dark-tinted windows that had been driving erratically in the parking lot around 1:15 a.m. slideshow Photos message boards Send condolences to Officer Tirado's family While Tirado was talking to the driver, the front-seat passenger got out of the SUV, walked around the back of the vehicle and "executed Officer Tirado, shooting him from behind," said Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Tommy Thompson. "He never knew what was coming," Thompson said. Police say the gunman, Cesar Tomas Quiroz Leon, 27, then engaged in a "life or death" gunbattle with Paz, during which Leon was shot and killed, Thompson said. Paz remained in critical condition Monday afternoon at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, where he underwent at least two surgeries, Buckeye Police Chief Mark Mann said. Paz, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his shoulder, neck and lower body during the gunfight, is expected to recover, Mann said. "This was an unprovoked attack by armed men on two heroes (who were) protecting and serving," Mann said. On Monday, co-workers, residents, teachers and students who work with the police officers showed an outpouring of support, leaving flowers and notes at impromptu memorials. A second man also was critically wounded during the gunfight, but his identity and condition were unknown Monday evening. Phoenix police are searching for a third man who fled the scene. He is described as Hispanic, 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 7 inches tall, between 160 and 170 pounds, clean-shaven, and wearing dark clothes and a brown shirt, Thompson said. Tirado's shooting is the first death in the Buckeye Police Department. "It's a difficult time for everybody," department spokesman Lt. Jared Griffith said of the somber mood at the department. "But we're pushing through one day at a time, trying to focus on the job at hand." Paz, 34, who joined Buckeye police 4 1/2 years ago, is married and has three children. He works in patrol and with the SWAT team. Tirado, 37, an 11-year police veteran who worked seven years in Buckeye, leaves a wife and two children, ages 13 and 16. Tirado worked as a SWAT crisis negotiator and as a school-resource officer at Youngker High School. About 250 students and staff gathered Monday morning around the flagpole in front of the school for a moment of silence. They set up memorials with flowers, cards, notes, balloons and candles around the flagpole, around a tree in the school's courtyard and at Tirado's office. Students, school officials and community members said Tirado had a passion for youths and helping them stay on the right path. "He was an advocate for the students," Assistant Principal Rob Roberson said. "He was constantly working with them. You couldn't describe him just as a police officer. He (worked) with them to make them better people, better individuals." Robert Aceves, a Buckeye resident and friend of Tirado, said Tirado worked hard to strengthen the relationship between the community and the police. Aceves, who runs a boxing club in Buckeye for at-risk youth, said Tirado was one of his biggest advocates and often referred troubled teens to him. "He wasn't just a guy that just punched the clock," Aceves said. "He was really a throwback to what a community officer is supposed to be." It is common for police to work in their off-duty hours as security for events, as the two Buckeye officers were doing on Saturday night. El Gran Mercado is similar to a swap meet and also is known for hosting events, such as concerts or dancing. There was a dance Saturday night with about 100 people in attendance, Thompson said. Owner Herb Owens said he felt "terrible" about what happened. He said events usually are peaceful and family-friendly, and suggested the dance and shooting were not connected. The shootout took place "after everyone had gone home," he said. "That truck with the guys in it was the last car in the lot," Owens said. "We'd secured the gates. I don't know that the people in that truck were even inside the social event that had been going on." Buckeye Mayor Jackie Meck said town staff and local businesses had "jumped into action" to support Tirado's and Paz's families and members of the Police Department. At the 38th Annual Peace Officers Memorial Service on Monday, Gov. Jan Brewer paid tribute to Tirado and all of Arizona's fallen officers. The Buckeye Police Department is working with Tirado's family to schedule services, but no plans have been announced. Reporters Megan Gordon, William Hermann and Ginger Rough contributed to this article. Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/swvalley/articles/2011/05/02/20110502buck eye-police-officer-executed-cops-say-brk02-ON.html#ixzz1LIbaPmqw PHOTOS: http://www.azcentral.com/php-bin/commphotos/show.php?colid=18790 <http://www.azcentral.com/php-bin/commphotos/show.php?colid=18790&slide_nbr= 1&fAZ=1&HTTP_REFERER=http://www.azcentral.com/#1> &slide_nbr=1&fAZ=1&HTTP_REFERER=http://www.azcentral.com/#1 -- [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? 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