Arizona ranks No. 1 for shootings by US Marshals Service task forces, investigation shows – By Uriel J. Garcia, Simone Weichselbaum, & Sachi McClendon (The Marshall Project & Arizona Republic) / Feb 11 2021
Data reveals that Mesa officers on the squad have fired the most fatal shots since 2015.
This investigation was published in partnership with The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system, and the USA TODAY Network.
Arizona leads the nation in the number of people shot since 2015 by U.S. marshal task forces.
The squads, which arrest fugitives, use techniques some police chiefs criticize as outdated and dangerous.
While the task forces in Arizona include federal agents and officers from several local police agencies, Mesa officers shot more than half of the 11 who were killed, including a young bystander, according to an investigation by The Arizona Republic in partnership with The Marshall Project.
In Arizona, where officers’ use of deadly force has been closely examined, the marshals’ shootings largely have gone unnoticed. But they reflect a broader theme of the state’s use of deadly force: Officers can shoot someone and expect not to get criminally charged.
