On May 18, 2013, at about 7:00 p.m., Tucson Police Department officers responded to a report of a male and female physically fighting near the parking lot of the El Pueblo Center located at 101 West Irvington Road. The complainant advised that the male was armed with a handgun and at one point had the victim down on the ground and the gun pointed at her.
Sergeant Will Corrales and Officer Jesus Tapia were in one patrol vehicle and arrived within two minutes of the original dispatch time.
They immediately located two individuals that matched the description given by the complainant. As they exited their patrol vehicle, Sergeant Corrales immediately recognized a handgun in the waistband of the male suspect. Both Sergeant Corrales and Officer Tapia gave verbal commands to the male suspect, to which he did not comply. At one point, the male suspect began walking towards the officers and removed the gun from his waistband. Both Sergeant Corrales and Officer Tapia fired their duty weapons at the suspect, striking him. Officers immediately began first aid until arrival of the Tucson Fire Department. The suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene. The female involved was not injured. It was later determined that the female was the sister of the male suspect.
The deceased male was identified as 22-year old Freddy Batt Sosa. Next of kin have been notified. Sergeant Will Corrales is a 16-year veteran of the Tucson Police Department. Officer Jesus Tapia was hired by Tucson Police in September 2012.
Homicide Detectives as well as personnel from the Internal Affairs Office responded to continue the investigation. At this time, the criminal investigation is ongoing as to the circumstances that led up to the shooting. In addition, a parallel administrative investigation is being conducted to determine if proper procedures and applicable policies were followed.