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Arizona Man killed by police had troubled past

Arizona Man killed by police had troubled past

By LARRY HENDRICKS
Sun Staff Reporter
02/07/2006

The 39-year-old Williams man who was shot and killed Sunday during a reported struggle in the city police station had a history of substance abuse and mental illness.

Detectives with the county sheriff's office continue to sift through evidence to determine what happened.

Sunday's shooting is the second police-involved shooting by a Williams police officer in six days. (See related story, this page).

Roger Heath Jensen has been named as the man who died after being shot by Police Officer Chee Burnsides, said John Jamison of the Williams Police Department.

Jensen is a member of a longtime family in Williams that owns and operate the Turquoise Tepee curio shop downtown. Calls placed to the business were not answered Monday.

According to initial reports, Burnsides had arrested Jensen on DUI-related charges Sunday at about 12:30 p.m. Jensen had been riding an all-terrain vehicle. During the course of Burnsides' investigation, he took Jensen, who was cooperative, back to the police station.

At the police station, Jensen and Chee were involved in a "physical altercation," Jamison said. He would not elaborate further.

David Rozema, chief deputy Coconino County attorney, said that the county attorney's office is expecting the investigative reports into the shooting late this week or early next week. In the meantime, he was briefed on what happened by detectives.

"The preliminary indications are that Mr. Jensen assaulted the arresting officer during the booking process that was under way at the Williams Police Department," Rozema said. "It's our understanding that

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