Family speaks out after Valley man is shot, killed by U.S. Marshals in alleged 'kidnapping'

MESA, Ariz. - The family of a Valley man shot and killed by authorities speaks out just a day after the incident took place Sept.18, saying details released don't match up with who he was, but that more details need to be released.

U.S. Marshals say Esau Tineo kidnapped his two-year-old daughter. They also say he "vowed to shoot it out with police" if he didn't get to see his daughter.

Tineo's ex-wife and their son say there's another side to this story.

Many details about what happened at the QT Gas Station on 19th and Southern avenues haven't been released. Police didn't say if Tineo died from his injuries, but the medical examiner confirms he died by homicide.

Tineo's ex-wife, Delilah, says she believes there are more questions than answers regarding his death.

She got the call from Tineo's mother Friday afternoon. "She texted me and told me that he was shot and since I live down the street, I frantically drove down there," she explained.

The scene was filled with Mesa Police officers and U.S. Marshals. Authorities say Tineo kidnapped his two-year-old daughter Ezmeralda late Thursday night.

Authorities tracked him down at a home near 59th Avenue and Thomas Road Friday, but he allegedly drove away from police and into oncoming traffic.

Authorities say Ezmeralda didn't have a seatbelt on. "He would never drive with her without a seatbelt. She was always in the car seat, she was always secured, all the time," his ex-wife said.

Ultimately, the U.S. Marshals say an officer-involved shooting happened at the gas station when they tried to arrest Tineo. His daughter wasn't hurt.

Officials say Tineo had reportedly been acting erratically. His nephew, Danny, says a detective detained him the morning before the shooting, claiming Tineo would hurt himself.

"If he doesn't get the baby, like, he's gonna kill himself and kill the baby too, which is like, completely false cause we had a conversation about suicide like four days ago and he said he really doesn't get that," his nephew said.

Loved ones say Ezmeralda stayed with her father often despite not having full custody.

Investigators point to a violent criminal history but Tineo's family says he's been out of prison for a decade. They want to know exactly what happened in the parking lot before officers shot and killed him.

"I'm upset. I'm upset because this is somebody that they took, they took my son's father away," said Tineo's ex-wife, Delilah.

The U.S. Marshals are leading the investigation.