ERIK HITE, 1965-2008
Court document: Delich admitted shooting at officers
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Corrected version. Corrects number of shots fired at Hite.
The man accused of killing a Tucson police officer and wounding two sheriff's deputies admitted to detectives that he shot at officers during a Sunday spree, a court-filed document said.
David Nickolas Delich, 25, of the 8400 block of North Treece Way was arrested Sunday at Molino Basin, near the base of the Mount Lemmon Highway. He was booked into the Pima County Jail and charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault on law enforcement officers and firing a firearm at a structure.
After Officer Erik Hite died Monday from a shot to his head Sunday, Delich also was charged with first-degree murder.
Seven shots were fired at Hite's vehicle. One hit Hite, police spokesman Sgt. Mark Robinson said.
A criminal complaint said, "Delich admitted to shooting at officers."
The complaint, made public Tuesday in Pima County Consolidated Justice Court, does not elaborate on what Delich said to investigators about the shootings.
Before Hite died, Delich was being held in jail in lieu of $2.5 million bail.
At an initial court appearance Monday night in the murder case, bail for Delich was increased to $3.5 million, according to a jail records clerk.
Delich's MySpace pages showed pictures of him with guns.
The blog had read, "soon i plan to kill many police officers."
"well see who gets shot and killed," he wrote in lowercase and erratically punctuated. "and that is a threat to you pigs. every one."
Delich's attorney, Brick P. Storts III, was in court Tuesday and could not be reached for comment.
Attorney Robert R. McCright, who will assist in Delich's defense, said he attended Monday night's initial appearance.
Asked about Delich's admission alleged in the court document, McCright, citing limited involvement in the case, said, "I don't know anything about that."
Hite was shot at several times as he followed a Mustang involved in a crosstown rampage Sunday onto North Tomahawk Trail, near East Tanque Verde and North Houghton roads, police said. Hite, 43, was struck in the head by a bullet, said Lt. Claudette Gross, a police spokeswoman.
Gross said no "police officers had the opportunity, given . . . the density of traffic, to safely return fire."
Sheriff's Bureau Chief Richard Kastigar said Monday that Deputy Eric Cervantez fired three shots Sunday after he was shot at three times and wounded once in the shoulder.
Concerning the court document statement, Robinson said, "We can't elaborate on the contents of the interim complaint at this time.
"It's a complex, ongoing criminal investigation that involves two law enforcement agencies," Robinson said. "When the time is appropriate, additional details of the progress of this investigation, and what detectives have learned, will be forthcoming."
Kastigar said Monday that investigators found in the red Ford Mustang involved in Sunday's shooting spree three assault rifles, two pistols, "dozens" of firearm magazines, "thousands of rounds" of ammunition, a bullet-resistant vest, a sleeping bag, other camping gear and water.
Police have accounted for 35 shots fired from the time Tucson police arrived at the scene to the time Delich surrendered, but there could be more, Robinson said.
"There may be holes in cars that people haven't reported them," Robinson said. "No matter how small the detail was, it may be important to the investigation."
Robinson said police interviewed many people about this case.
"We believe there were people in cars and pedestrians that might have seen what happened but haven't talked to the police," Robinson said.
He said police are looking for witnesses who might have seen Delich point a gun or shoot at the officers. Dial 911 or 88-CRIME.
Of course this guy's murder was tragic, but what I'm saying is that murder is murder, regardless of whether or not the victim was a law enforcement officer. Having a more severe penalty for the murder of a cop than a murder of a friend of mine says to me that the cop's life was worth more than my friend's, and I don't appreciate that one bit.
Murder is murder.