Tempe police have softened their language used to describe an incident last Thursday involving the former state prisons director.
First they accused Charles Ryan of having pointed a gun at officers who responded to a call at his home that someone may have shot themselves. They said Ryan would face criminal charges once he left a hospital after treatment for shooting himself in the hand.
Tempe police said on Tuesday the case is under review and investigators will recommend charges to county prosecutors.
Defense lawyer Armando Nava, president of the group called Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice, said police try to release information quickly that supports what they did.
“And then as they start actually going through their investigative reports, they realize, ‘Oh that might not have been exactly correct,’” he said.
Pointing a gun at police is a felony that comes with mandatory prison time, said Nava. Prosecutors normally take a harsh approach in cases with a suspect who’s accused of assaulting an officer.
Critics saw Ryan as an enemy of justice during his tenure as the state prisons director.
Nava said the outcome of Ryan’s armed standoff was an example of law enforcement working properly. Tempe police got Ryan help, and nobody was hurt.
“His wife and daughter were able to exit the house unharmed and unscathed as well. It’s a result that we hope to see when police are called,” said Nava.
