Related To Story OFFICER HIT BY BULLET SAVED BY VEST OFFICER BRET GLIDEWELL RECOUNTS SHOOTING Q & A WITH DETECTIVE BOB RAGSDALE DON'T MISS |
Illegal Immigrant Accused In Officer Shooting
Bulletproof Vest Saves Officer's Life
POSTED: 6:39 am MST October 15,
2007
UPDATED: 7:36 pm MST October 15,
2007
PHOENIX -- Bond was denied for an illegal immigrant accused of shooting a police officer whose bulletproof vest saved his life.IMAGES: Shooting Crime Scene Officer Bret Glidewell was shot Sunday after pulling over a 1998 Chevrolet S-10 pickup around 5 p.m. for running a stop sign near 32nd Street and Sweetwater Avenue.Police said the driver stuck a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol out the window and fired one shot at Glidewell as he was walking up to the truck, hitting him right above the heart. Glidewell's vest stopped the bullet.The 22-year-old officer, on the force seven months, returned fire but the driver sped off.Glidewell was checked out at a hospital and released.He identified 35-year-old Jose Abel Cabrera-Somosa as the shooter based on a photograph.Police used a GPS tracker in Cabrera-Somosa's cell phone to track him to a home near Seventh Avenue and Loop 101, where he had been living for the past three months with 10 other people.Cabrera-Somosa was arrested at the home around 11:30 p.m. and booked for investigation of attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer and misconduct involving weapons.Police found an S-10 pickup backed into the driveway of the home with what appeared to be two bullet holes in the rear window. The license plate associated with the shooting was found inside the truck, according to police; a different plate was affixed to the vehicle.Police said Cabrera-Somosa denied involvement in the shooting, telling investigators he had loaned the pickup to an acquaintance named Julio. Cabrera-Somosa told police Julio returned the pickup with bullet holes in the window that he could not explain.Cabrera-Somosa said he was surprised to learn the license plate on the pickup had been switched.Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Cabrera-Somosa is an illegal immigrant who claimed he is from El Salvador. Cabrera was caught in the United States in 2001 and he voluntarily returned to Mexico, police said.Cabrera-Somosa was denied bond because of his illegal status, because he has no known employer and because he allegedly shot a police officer.Police records show he was cited for traffic violations in August of 2003. He received one criminal citation for failure to provide driver license or evidence of identity. He also received four civil citations. His fingerprints and a photo were taken for identification purposes. Cabrera-Somosa was cited and released, police said.Officers said he was again cited in October 2003 for three civil traffic violations and released. According to the City of Phoenix Court, he addressed the citations with the court.Police said it's still unclear why he opened fire on Glidewell. Officers said they have not located any arrest warrants for the man.
Copyright 2007 by KPHO.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.
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