Man sentenced to nearly 50 years in prison for shooting PCSO deputy

(FLORENCE, AZ) - A man who shot a Pinal County Sheriff's Office Deputy while responding to a trespassing call has been sentenced to more than four decades in prison.

On April 28th, 2023, Pinal County Superior Court Judge Jason Holmberg sentenced Jason Forrester, 40, to 48 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections.

Forrester pled guilty to Misconduct Involving Weapons by a prohibited possessor, a Class 4 Felony, and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon on a law enforcement officer, a Class 2 Felony.

In March, 2022, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office responded to a Dudleyville home after a call alleging Forrester was trespassing on the vacant property. At the time of the incident, Forrester had a warrant out for his arrest. A responding deputy contacted Forrester and shortly after was heard on police radio stating he was involved in a shooting and had been shot and was losing consciousness. The deputy was ultimately air lifted from the scene and taken to a level 1 trauma center.

Responding law enforcement personnel located Forrester, who was also suffering from a gunshot wound. Forrester was also transported to a trauma center. After his release from the hospital, Forrester was taken to the Pinal County Adult Detention Facility. He met with a PCSO detective and provided a statement that he was at the vacant home and when the deputy arrived on scene, the deputy brought up the outstanding warrant and Forrester began to run because he knew he was in possession of a firearm. The evidence and the victim account show this was an intentional shooting. While backing away from the Deputy, Forrester said he was not going back to jail and ran deeper into the property. As he approached a gate he reached into his pocket, removed a firearm, turned to face the Deputy and fired the gun, striking him.

A witness was contacted, and while they did not see the shooting, stated they heard a single gunshot followed by several more gunshots moments later.

The PCSO deputy who was shot was ultimately released from the hospital.

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