Discovery of Marijuana Preceded Deadly Tucson Shooting, U.S. Says

U.S.|Discovery of ‘Bulk Marijuana’ Preceded Tucson Train Shooting, U.S. Says

First, came a tip. Then, not truthful discreetly, investigators say, an Amtrak rider stowed 3 bags successful different enactment and returned to his spot conscionable arsenic cause enforcement agents boarded a crowded bid connected Monday greeting during a halt successful Tucson, Ariz.

A hunt of those bags connected the bid level yielded much than 5 pounds of “bulk marijuana,” 50 packages of marijuana edibles (3.5-gram servings of “Gooberz”) and different cannabis products, according to a national transgression complaint.

That was erstwhile a “routine” expanse by a cause enforcement task unit turned deadly: One national cause was killed, different was critically wounded and a Tucson constabulary serviceman was hospitalized successful unchangeable information aft a 2nd fishy who had gone backmost onto the bid opened occurrence connected them.

The complaint, which was filed connected Tuesday successful U.S. District Court successful Arizona, revealed caller details astir the series of events that led to the shooting, including the sanction of 1 of the men, Devonte Okeith Mathis, who was charged with intent to administer marijuana.

The gunman was changeable and killed successful the speech with the task unit members, said the complaint, which did not place him. He had been seated crossed the aisle from Mr. Mathis, and some men were traveling from California to Texas, the authorities said.

It was not instantly wide if Mr. Mathis, 22, of Mesquite, Texas, had a lawyer — nary were listed connected tribunal records. He was scheduled to look successful national tribunal connected Wednesday day successful Tucson.

In Texas, Mr. Mathis had antecedently been charged with possession with intent to manufacture oregon present a controlled substance successful 2018, according to tribunal records, which showed that his lawsuit was pending. Public records besides listed a December 2020 condemnation successful an aggravated battle lawsuit involving a deadly weapon. The result of that lawsuit was not instantly clear.

Even though it is ineligible for radical 21 and implicit to person up to 1 ounce of marijuana for recreational usage successful Arizona nether a law passed past November, possession of immoderate magnitude of marijuana is simply a national crime. Trafficking remains amerciable some astatine the national level and successful Arizona, wherever determination has been hostility implicit marijuana possession laws.

Valena Beety, a instrumentality prof and lawman manager of the Academy for Justice astatine Arizona State University, said successful an interrogation connected Wednesday that the disconnect betwixt the authorities and national instrumentality had created confusion.

“You’re successful a authorities wherever recreational marijuana has been legalized, and yet there’s inactive the interaction of the D.E.A., you know, national officers who tin apprehension you for violating a national law,” Professor Beety said. “It’s been a hostility for years. These are the kinds of tragedies that originate implicit this confusion.”

But Professor Beety pointed retired that determination is nary ambiguity successful the instrumentality arsenic acold arsenic the magnitude of marijuana that was seized and the trafficking charge.

On Tuesday, the Drug Enforcement Administration identified the cause who was killed arsenic Michael G. Garbo, a radical supervisor who had worked for the bureau for much than 16 years combating transgression cause traffickers, from the southwestern United States to Kabul, Afghanistan. Officials did not merchandise the names of the different injured officers oregon connection details connected their conditions.

Federal agents said successful the transgression ailment that they were investigating a extremity that they had received from Amtrak erstwhile they encountered the 2 men connected the train. The ailment did not elaborate connected the quality of the tip.

When an cause asked Mr. Mathis if the bags belonged to him, helium denied it and drew further suspicion, the ailment said. Inside a bluish backpack, the cause recovered 2 bulk packages of marijuana, according to investigators, who said that the gunman returned to the bid arsenic constabulary dogs sniffed the bags. When agents began to attack the gunman connected the precocious platform of the double-decker train, helium opened fire.

The gunfire prompted the evacuation of the Sunset Limited Train 2, which had been carrying 137 passengers and 11 unit members astatine the clip of the shooting. All of those aboard the train, which had been traveling from Los Angeles to New Orleans, were safely evacuated, an Amtrak spokesperson said.

Vimal Patel contributed reporting.