Officer who fired in Tuesday’s police shooting identified
The Metropolitan Police Department on Thursday identified the officer who fired his weapon during a police shooting in the east valley Tuesday afternoon.
Officer Samuel Solorio, 39, shot a suspect at the 3600 block of Asbury Hill Avenue about 2:52 p.m. that day. Solorio is a patrol officer assigned to Metro's northeast area and has been on the force for 17½ years.
The male he shot received only minor injuries and was treated at University Medical Center before he was booked in jail. Solorio has been placed on routine paid administrative lead pending the investigation's outcome, Metro said in a statement.
The shooting happened after officers initially responded to a reckless-driving call. The recklessly driven car ended up matching the description of a stolen vehicle first reported to police about 2:30 p.m.
As officers responded, the driver was headed southbound on Pecos Road when he ditched the stolen car at the Bonanza Road intersection and ran south into a neighborhood on Asbury Hill, just east of the Desert Pines Golf Course. An air unit spotted that he was armed.
As Solorio pulled onto Asbury Hill in an unmarked car, the male walked out from between two homes. There was a brief confrontation when police said the male pointed his gun at Solorio, who fired.
Metro is expected to give a more detailed briefing on the shooting soon.
Contact Rachel Crosby at rcrosby@reviewjournal.com or at 702-387-5290. Find her on Twitter: @rachelacrosby
