Man who opened fire at construction site may be charged with hate crime
Jun 19, 2013, 4:56 PM | Updated: 5:05 pm
PHOENIX — A man opened fire at a construction site in Florence, Ariz., and investigators said it could have been a hate crime.
“Danny Davis went to this site because it was a site where minorities were working and because of his anger at those workers for having jobs that he felt American citizens should have,” said Tamra Ingersoll with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office. “That could result in additional hate crime charges.”
The incident happened Monday at the Magma Ranch housing development. According to the PCSO, 53-year-old Danny Davis confronted workers and retreated to his truck. Davis allegedly retrieved a rifle and then shot at the workers. Davis then shot at a patrol car of a deputy who had responded to the 911 call.
Davis showed signs of alcohol impairment, according to the PCSO. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident.
Sheriff Paul Babeu released the following statement:
Hate crimes notoriously go unreported for a variety of reasons including the fact victims may be fearful of reporting the crime to law enforcement. Danny Davis attempted to murder individuals because of their race. Thanks to the victims reporting the crime and the investigation completed by deputies, once convicted of these felony offenses, the judge will impose a harsher sentence due to the aggravating factor of this case being classified as a hate crime.
