The Arizona Department of Public Safety, the state law enforcement agency, has released its report on the investigation of the fatal shooting of Jonathan David Messare by two Sedona police officers on Jan. 20. Read the entire 407-page Arizona Department of Public Safety investigation here.
There are also two videos from police dash cam depicting the encounter and the shooting.
According to the DPS summary, On Monday, January 20, 2020, at 1:21 p.m., a woman was cleaning her rental properties located at 55 New Castle Lane in Sedona. She observed a heavy-set white male, with a mohawk wearing camouflage clothing and a heavy vest, standing on the concrete wall of her property.
The white male was later identified as Jonathan David Messare, 41.
Messare was holding a large machete, also described as a sword, and a walking stick yelling unintelligible statements. The woman described Messare’s statements and actions to appear like he was performing a “ritual”.
The woman walked towards Messare and requested he leave her property. Messare clenched the machete with both hands and raised it above his head. Messare reportedly walked towards the woman and continued to yell unintelligible statements. The woman, fearing for her life, ran into her residence and locked the door. She called the Sedona Police Department 911 emergency line to report the incident.
Messare, who referred to himself as “JLegend” or “Jonny Legend Erassem” – the last name being “Messare” spelled backwards- was believed to have arrived in the Sedona area in late October, based on his social media posts, and was reportedly staying at an apartment and music studio on Contractors Road he called “WarFactor Studio.”
He had recently been told to leave that property, according to the DPS investigation, but friends told investigators that the property owner was giving Messare time to remove his personal property from the studio.
For an in-depth story about Messare, please click here.
Sedona police first had contact with Messare when a local business owner reported to police Messare he may have had warrants out of Oregon. A second call on Nov. 22 was from a relative who reported Messare was posting images of firearms. Messare was a prohibited possessor of firearms.
On Dec. 7, Sedona police responded to a disorderly conduct call at his residence.
Subsequent calls to Oregon police provided Sedona police with the details of his arrest and assault on law enforcement in Oregon, which was shared with Sedona police officers, who were warned that Messare was not “law enforcement friendly” and to be cautious if encountering him. Sedona police issued a notice to officers via email.
However, none of the officers involved in the shooting had been on duty at the time of the previous calls and had presumably never encountered him before Jan. 20. The caller on Jan. 20 did not identify Messare so police were presumably unaware of who he was until after the shooting.
At 1:22 p.m., SPD dispatch broadcast the emergency radio traffic.
SPD Sergeant Casey Pelletier, #624, Officer William “Bill” Hunt, #461, and Officer Kevin Hudspeth, #474, responded to the scene with emergency lights and siren. All three officers were equipped with an in-vehicle dash camera and body-worn microphones.
The equipment was activated and recording throughout the incident.
At 1:29 p.m., Pelletier, Hunt, and Hudspeth arrived on-scene at the same time.
Hunt parked his vehicle approximately ten yards in front of Messare. Hudspeth positioned his vehicle to the passenger side of Hunt’s vehicle. Pelletier angled his vehicle behind Hunt’s vehicle.
According to invesigators, Hunt immediately recognized the threat Messare posed holding a large machete. Hunt unholstered his duty handgun and gave verbal commands. Pelletier also recognized the threat Messare posed holding the machete, according to the report. Pelletier unholstered his duty handgun and gave additional verbal commands for Messare to drop the weapon. Hudspeth unholstered his duty weapon and remained on the passenger side of Hunt’s vehicle.
Messare refused to obey verbal commands given by the officers, the report stated. Messare clenched the machete handle with both hands and raised it above his head. Messare walked towards Hunt and Pelletier.
Hunt and Pelletier continued to give verbal commands to drop the weapon. Messare continued to disobey verbal commands.
According to the report, Hunt and Pelletier, fearing for their lives and the lives of fellow officers, fired their duty handguns. Hunt fired his handgun twice grazing Messare with the first shot and striking Messare with the second shot. Pelletier fired his handgun twice striking Messare both times.
Messare was spun around from the impact of the shots.
Messare, still standing, did not drop the machete and walked towards Hunt and Pelletier a second time.
Pelletier fired two additional shots striking Messare both times.
Messare dropped the machete and fell to the ground with his hands underneath his torso.
Hudspeth did not fire his duty handgun due to his backdrop behind Messare. Hudspeth later explained his backdrop was a concrete embankment and feared an errant shot would result in a ricochet into a nearby apartment complex.
At 1:32 p.m., Hunt broadcast on his portable radio, “Shots fired!” and requested medical personnel to respond.
Hunt, Pelletier, and Hudspeth devised a plan to safely remove the machete from Messare. Hunt approached Messare and removed the machete and two additional weapons. The two other weapons were a buck knife and a hatchet.
At 1:36 p.m., personnel from the Sedona Fire District Engine 541 and Ambulance 541, both from Station 4 on Forest Road, arrived on-scene.
At 1:40 p.m., Messare was pronounced deceased by SFD Paramedic Phillip Bruglio.
SPD Command Staff contacted and requested the investigation be conducted by the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
The autopsy was conducted Thursday, Jan. 23, determining cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds. The toxicology report from Messare’s blood was completed Thursday, March 19. The following was found:
• Positive for methamphetamine: 1,059 ng/mL – Reporting Limit: 50 ng/mL
• Positive for amphetamines: 114 ng/mL – Reporting Limit: 50 ng/mL (the human body metabolizes methamphetamine into amphetamine and 4-hydroxymethamphetamine aka pholedrine)
• Positive for chlorpheniramine, an over-the-counter antihistamine: 594 ng/mL – Reporting Limit 50ng/mL
• Positive for tetrahydrocannabinol, aka marijuana: 7.2 ng/mL – Reporting Limit: 1 ng/mL
• Positive for THC-COOH, the main secondary metabolite of tetrahydrocannabinol: 88.6 ng/mL – Reporting Limit: 3 ng/mL
• Positive for dextromethorphan, the cough medicine sold as Robitussin: 2,582 ng/mL – Reporting Limit: 10 ng/mL
Dash Cam Videos
THIS VIDEO CONTAINS DISTURBING FOOTAGE OF A FATAL POLICE SHOOTING. PLEASE DO NOT WATCH IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO SUCH IMAGERY.
Sedona Police Officers William “Bill” Hunt, Sgt. Casey Pelletier and Officer Kevin Hudspeth responded to a 911 call on Monday, January 20, 2020, at 1:21 p.m. and encountered 41-year-old Jonathan David Messare, Messare came toward the officers with the machete over his head and refused to drop the weapon. Officer Hunt shot Messare two times and Sgt. Pelletier shot Messare four times. Hudspeth did not discharge his weapon. All three officers were equipped with an in-vehicle dash camera and body-worn microphones. Messare was reported dead at the scene. This is Officer Hunt’s dashcam video.
Sedona Police Officer Bill Hunt’s dash cam of the Jan. 20, 2020, shooting of Jonathan Messare. You must verify you are 18 years old or older to view it.
THIS VIDEO CONTAINS DISTURBING FOOTAGE OF A FATAL POLICE SHOOTING. PLEASE DO NOT WATCH IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO SUCH IMAGERY.
Sedona Police Sgt. Casey Pelletier’s dash cam of the Jan. 20, 2020, shooting of Jonathan Messare. You must verify you are 18 years old or older to view it.
Background of Jonathan David Messare
Army Veteran
Messare served as an infantry sergeant in the U.S. Army with at least one tour in Iraq.
He injured his spine in Bagdad, Iraq, prior to 2006 and was medevaced from Bagdad to a field hospital at Balad Air Base. From there he was sent to Kuwait and then back to Balad for a flight to Germany. Surgery was delayed four times until he was finally treated via Landstuhl Hospital Care Project in Virginia.
Messare reportedly had four children but was estranged from their mother, according to social media.
“American Private Law Enforcement Association”
Messare co-founded the “American Private Law Enforcement Association” or APLEA Rangers in September 2016.
The APLEA’s website has since gone defunct, reportedly by court order, but its Facebook page has more than 1,900 followers. Messare is still listed as a co-founder of the organization on a landing page that remains online.
Messare’s Criminal History in Oregon
Originally from New York state, Messare most recently lived in Salem, Ore. He was arrested March 6, 2019, by police in Portland, Ore., after he was reportedly near Hosford Middle School in southeast Portland, carrying a hatchet, yelling and taking off his clothes. After Portland police arrived, Messare reportedly threw the hatchet and a knife and charged at officers.
One Portland police sergeant suffered a stabbing wound in his hand from a small knife Messare allegedly had concealed in his hand. Video from that incident as provided by KOIN 6, a CBS affiliate.
At the time of his arrest in Oregon, Messare faced second-degree assault, assaulting a public safety officer, attempted assault on a public safety officer, resisting arrest, first-degree criminal mischief, second-degree disorderly conduct. theft and unlawful use of a weapon. A search warrant served at his home yielded an AR-15 rifle, shotgun, pistols, tactical gear, body armor and ammunition, which he was prohibited from possessing.
After being released from jail in Oregon, Messare was involved in another incident outside a storage unit where he was reportedly wearing a ballistic helmet, making statements about murdering his wife and daughter, again armed with a hatchet.
After a lengthy standoff he was taken into custody. During both arrests he was armed, displayed fear and aggression towards law enforcement, and assaulted officers as well as jail staff.
A trial was set for Oct. 15, 2019, but he reportedly did not appear. Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Stephen K. Bushong issued a warrant for his arrest on Oct. 17. Oregon courts also ordered a forensic mental health evaluation on Nov. 21. A failure to appear warrant was issued by Judge Bushong on Dec. 6.
Messare in Sedona
Messare, who referred to himself as “JLegend” or “Jonny Legend Erassem” — the surname was his last name Messare spelled backwards — was believed to have arrived in the Sedona area in late October, based on his social media posts, and was reportedly staying at an apartment and music studio on Contractors Road he called “WarFactor Studio.” It is unknown if he resided there at the time of his death.
Sedona police first had contact with Messare when a local business owner reported to police Messare he may have had warrants out of Oregon.
A second call on Nov. 22 was from a relative who reported Messare was posting images of firearms. Messare was a prohibited possessor of firearms.
Subsequent calls to Oregon police provided Sedona police with the details of his arrest and assault on law enforcement in Oregon, which was shared with Sedona police officers, who were warned that Messare was not “law enforcement friendly” and to be cautious if encountering him.
On Dec. 7, Sedona police responded to a disorderly conduct call at his residence. Thought a prohibited possessor of firearms, he had a hatchet hanging from his person and “was very aggressive.” He was warned about being loud and disorderly and he agreed to keep it down.
As a veteran, Messare was interred in a military funeral at the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, in Schuylerville, N.Y., on July 17, 2020.
