The parents of a 17-year-old girl who was killed by federal agents during a 2019 shoot-out in Ahwatukee are suing the agents in federal court, alleging excessive force. They claim that their daughter was intentionally killed in ambush style by the agents.
On April 11, 2019, federal agents in metro Phoenix were tracking Warren Jose, a man they suspected of operating as a human smuggler on the Tohono O odham Nation near the international border. The agents decided to intercept Jose by ramming his vehicle on South 48th Street in Ahwatukee. A shootout ensued, resulting in the death of 17-year-old Theresa Medina Thomas, who was in Jose s vehicle. Jose survived. The case was widely covered by local media.