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Crime

Police Identify the Man Who Shot Himself on Live TV and Reveal They May Have Shot Him First

Oct. 1, 2012 7:17am Jonathon M. Seidl

Jodon Romero Identified as Man Who Committed Suicide on Fox News

This image provided by the Arizona Department of Corrections shows Jodon Romero. Phoenix police identified Romero as a wanted felon who shot at officers and then led them on a hour-long chase Friday, Sept. 28, 2012 that ended with his suicide, which was inadvertently televised nationally by Fox News. Credit: AP

PHOENIX (AP) — A man who stole a car at gunpoint, shot at Phoenix police officers and then led them on a chase that ended with his suicide broadcast on national television was identified Saturday as a wanted felon with a long criminal history.

Jodon F. Romero, 33, was wanted for violating his parole for a weapons conviction and had numerous other violent crimes in his background, police spokesman Sgt. Tommy Thompson said.

At the end of an hour-long pursuit on an interstate west of Phoenix on Friday, Romero pulled into the desert and an officer shot at him, although it appears he missed, Thompson said. Romero then walked off the dirt road, put a gun to his head and killed himself.

Fox News was covering the chase that began about midday Friday using a live helicopter shot from Phoenix affiliate KSAZ-TV. Anchor Shepard Smith told viewers that the video was supposed to be on a delay so it could be cut off if something went awry.

“We really messed up, and we’re all very sorry,” Smith said minutes after the suicide aired. Fox apologized for showing the violence on air. KSAZ itself was not airing the chase.

On Saturday, Thompson said police did everything in their power to de-escalate the situation, but Romero seemed intent on continuing a crime spree that began with a minor incident in which he apparently hit a passing car with his hand, leading to a call to police.

As officers were heading to the south Phoenix area, they learned that a Dodge Caliber sedan had just been stolen at gunpoint from a nearby restaurant parking lot.

They spotted the car and gave chase, but pulled back when Romero began running red lights and endangering the public, Thompson said. Instead, unmarked cars and a police helicopter began following him at a distance.

Romero drove into an industrial area and spotted two marked police units, with one officer standing beside one car talking with another officer. He veered into their lane and opened fire, missing the officers but hitting one patrol car.

He then got onto Interstate 10, heading west toward California at speeds in excess of 100 mph.

The police helicopter and unmarked police vehicles followed at a distance, and the Fox helicopter began its coverage.

Romero fired at the police helicopter during the chase, but didn’t hit it, Thompson said.

About 75 miles west of Phoenix he got off the interstate and drove off into the surrounding desert.

He eventually stopped, got out of the car and began walking down a dirt road. That’s when an officer fired one shot at him.

Although Thompson said it appeared the shot missed, television footage shows Romero stumbling and falling down and appearing to feel his torso before walking into some brush.

That’s when he shot himself in the head.

An autopsy will determine if he was actually shot by an officer as well.

Thompson said it was clear to officers they had to stop Romero from getting back to a populated area.

“Anybody who will shoot at police officers, that shows a total disregard for them, will shoot at anybody else,” he said. “And this needed to be put to an end. Even after we backed out all the marked units he still continued to go.”

Arizona Department of Corrections records show Romero was imprisoned from April 2010 to June 2012 for a felony weapons charge.

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Comments (38)

batmanroxus
Posted on October 2, 2012 at 12:25pm
“Anybody who will shoot at police officers, that shows a total disregard for them, will shoot at anybody else,” That is a false statement. Some people particularly hate police officers… and some for really good reasons. And this “I got you first” attitude is unhealthy. But hey, I’m all for putting down a mad dog… even is it IS a police officer.

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GoodStuff
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 9:28pm
Multi-culturalism is a complete failure.

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clockwatcher
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 8:59pm
Romero, thanks for doing the right thing. You saved the tax payers millions.

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TJexcite
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 8:24pm
Still better outcome over 2 dead people. The criminal and the cop he shots. He realized he had one bullet left and was not going to win a shot out with one bullet.

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MAX0O1
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 6:30pm
THERE IS less crime in places where dirtbags know the innocent can
PROTECT THEMSELVES!!!!!!!!!

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- Black Tiger
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 8:28pm
  Case in point; look at the crime statidstics of states with strict gun laws (like NJ, NY, CA and IL) and compare them to states with less stricter gun laws (like AZ, TX, FL and NV), see the difference?
  
  Report this comment
- Choctaw25
  Posted on October 2, 2012 at 7:44am
  No, NO, No they don’t see the difference and NEVER WILL. It is a mental disease and can’t be cured, facts and the truth don’t register with Democrats. They can only do what the voices in their heads are telling them.
  YOU CAN’T CURE STUPID.
  
  Report this comment
hades3
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 4:13pm
As I posted the day of the incident, my gut instince told me this was a person with a long criminal history. As I stated, he was probably an “early release” , which was ordered by a federal judge, for
“so called” non violent offenders. There are thousands being released daily. How many are preying on innocent people, we will never know. Authorities are keeping the details secret. The CIA is unable to keep national security information secret, but local police and courts hardly ever divulge crimes by paroled offenders.

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spudwhite
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 3:13pm
Happened to see it live, unedited. He looked to me to have fallen after running down the road, not shot by cops, or they grazed him or use .22 ammo, or he was drugged up. Any way, he ran as if he was fine. When he stopped and shot himself, it took a few couple of seconds for him fall forward, not as quick as I would have thought. The man made nothing but bad choices it seems. R.I.P.

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disque-0-duc
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 3:07pm
He probably never got over his given name of Jodon which in Spanish means to be “a pain in the azz”. I’d hate to think what the “F” stands for. :-)

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blacktape242
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 1:29pm
not anymore…..

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COFemale
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 12:14pm
Coward

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patmajek
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 12:01pm
I love happy endings!

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paulwbrown
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 11:03am
Shooting himself was the first worthwhile thing he did in what appears to be a worthless adult life.

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dan182j
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 10:41am
I bet you anything that he had to have been on them new designer drugs “Smile” or “Bath Soap”

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SamIamTwo
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 9:05am
And what is the point of this story?

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taxpro4u03
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 8:58am
“…Although Thompson said it appeared the shot missed, television footage shows Romero stumbling and falling down and appearing to FEEL HIS TORSO BEFORE WALKING INTO THE BRUSH.

That’s when he shot himself in the head…”

Mm-Hm. Sumpn ‘smells,’ right there… ‘Ocifer, house come you shot him 12 time?’ “Ran outta ammo…”

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do_in_it_2
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 8:35am
His new prison that he chose himself is far worse that the prison that he would have faced alive.

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N37BU6
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 8:23am
Nobody cut away during the 9/11 attacks, and they were far more horrific.

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- Pokerjoe
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 9:18am
  It was an act of war. No holds barred.
  
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Mil-Dot
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 8:04am
You know, I don’t need or want the media to “protect” me from the realities of the world. And I have a news flash for you guys-most “kids” are not watching FOX news and don’t need your “protection” either. Man up and just say you showed the news UNFILTERED. Oh my God, the horror of it.

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Capt_Gregg
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 8:03am
A thoughtful criminal! He tried himself, found himself guilty, and carried out his own execution. He probably saved the state of Arizona the hundreds of thousands of dollars it would have cost for his trial (and probably several more as years went by) and the cost of his incarceration(s).

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- Thighmaster
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 8:26am
  How insensitive, somewhere out there a criminal defense attorney’s family will go to bed hungry because of this. If only it had been illegal for this man to possess a weapon and shoot at police this would never have happened.
  
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- Capt_Gregg
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 9:43am
  @THIGHMASTER
  I know. The poor attorney won’t be able to reach into Mr. Romero’s deep pockets for the fee that would have paid for the new pool in his backyard, so his family will have to go on food stamps. And you’re right about the need for laws to keep criminals from possessing firearms and to prevent people from shooting at each other. Such laws would surely have prevented this incident.
  
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ENIGMA28724
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 7:53am
Two words: Death Wish.

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joeslick
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 7:52am
A long criminal history including gun violations. If the truth were known, about every story involving POS’s like this, you would find a long criminal history. In my years as a police officer, it was the most common theme. Guns aren’t the problem…it’s a-holes like this that violate the laws over and over that are the problem.

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Tickdog
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 7:51am
and still an obumma voter…

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AmericanResolve
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 7:39am
Oh well…one less Obama voter…oh wait, he couldn’t vote. Oh well.

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- fish2mar
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 8:11am
  The Obama Justice Department has led the way in ALLOWING convicted felons to vote……not sure if AZ is included.
  
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- @leftfighter
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 8:46am
  There’s where you’re wrong:
  
  Not only was he an Obama voter a a felon, but now that he’s a dead felon, he’ll be voting twice this election.
  
  Just sayin’.
  
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- biohazard23
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 9:50am
  @Left, yikes…..
  
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- leh
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 10:33am
  Why couldn’t he??????????? demokrats would have welcomed him!
  
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flasho
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 7:38am
One less dirtbag.

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gbgreta
Posted on October 1, 2012 at 7:33am
That was my first thought. Looked like the cops tagged him when he got out of the car. The paid observers (media) aren’t very observant as usual.

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- ThemDemsLie2much
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 7:49am
  Notice the Media never says if these Latinos are here legally or not. Everytime I see one on the news, every day, they never say if they are an ilegal or not. They say it doesn’t matter if they were or not? Why wouldn’t it matter? I’d like to know how many of these latinos are illegal!
  
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- Exrepublisheep
  Posted on October 1, 2012 at 8:13am
  Jodon F. Romero (d. September 28, 2012) was an American criminal in Phoenix, Arizona, This is as close to any mention of his heritage that I can find. But…the news is usually pretty dynamic and info on a persons nationality would probably not make the news right away.
  
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