Prosecutors seeking higher bonds for prohibited possessors after shooting of officer
PHOENIX - As the Phoenix Police Department continues to grieve the loss of one of their officers, county attorneys are addressing certain cases involving prohibited possessors differently.
Prohibited possessors are people released from prison owning a gun when they aren't allowed to yet.
"Officer Zane Coolidge was recently shot and killed by an individual who was a prohibited possessor with a criminal history that contained no violence," Maricopa County prosecutor George Kelemen said.
Kelemen tried to use that case to try to convince a judge to increase bails in two unrelated cases of people possessing guns who aren't allowed.
Defense attorneys argue if they aren't violent, bail should be minimal.
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Coolidge was killed last week responding to a car break-in, and authorities say Saul Bal, who was a prohibited possessor, shot and killed Coolidge and injured his partner.
The judge heard the arguments in two unrelated cases but didn't increase bail on either defendant.
He said he respects the concerns for the safety of police officers, but his decision was to release the defendants on their own recognizance.
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"The criminal justice system has to do better," said Phoenix Police Chief Michael Sullivan.
Sullivan said he has researched every shot fired at an officer in the last year.
"100% of those were prohibited possessors who shouldn't have had firearms in the first place," Sullivan said.
Defense Attorneys advocate for non-violent gun owners
Defense attorney Rachel Moss from Attorneys for Freedom Law Firm has defended lower bails on non-violent defendants possessing guns when they aren't allowed.
"Possession of a gun alone does not indicate violent behavior. There are many reasons why people have a gun," she said.
"If we're giving really high bonds to non-violent offenders, the people you would think are entitled to lower bonds, are we really upholding our American values of the presumption of innocence?"
MCAO notes 3 issues with prohibited possessors
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell also spoke on prohibited possessor cases.
She emphasized the serious nature of criminals who can easily access guns.
"You automatically have three risk factors: you have somebody with a criminal history, you have somebody with a firearm and you have somebody who is willing to ignore the law. So I take those cases very seriously," she said.
Regarding bail amounts, Mitchell noted that they had gone down "significantly" before she took office.
Prosecutors are seeking higher bond amounts for prohibited possessors in the wake of a shooting that left a Phoenix Police officer dead last week.
However, for defendant Oscar Samono, who was found unlawfully possessing a weapon and potentially lethal drugs such as fentanyl, the judge settled on a $10,000 bond despite a request of $50,000 by prosecutors.
In the other case, defendant Joe Anthony Amarias who had a prior felony conviction, the state requested a $25,000 bond for possession of a weapon by a prohibited person. The judge set his bail at personal recognizance.