Two Tucson brothers were sentenced to 27 1/2 and 31 1/2 years in prison Friday for their roles in a home invasion that nearly killed two Tucson police officers.
Jacy Palic and Luke Gossett were sent to a home in the 200 block of East Elm Street around 1 a.m. on Dec. 1, 2009, after someone called 911 from the home and then hung up.
Officers arrived to find a footprint on the front door and two men lurking in the hallway of the home, Palic told Pima County Superior Court Judge Michael Miller. When they announced themselves, one of the men yelled an expletive at them and a volley of gunfire erupted.
Both officers dove for cover and Palic remembered thinking everyone in the house must have been "massacred," given the number of shots. She also wondered if the gunfire would ever end.
Eventually, she and Gossett saw four men take off in a car. They later learned 20 shots had been fired. One of the rounds hit a door frame, missing Palic's head by an inch.
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Martin Rodolfo Felix, Alvaro Rene Felix, Gilbert Martinez Gamez and Jorge Raymaundo Flores were arrested after crashing their car and hiding in a shed in the 100 block of East Adam Street.
The occupants of the house - a couple, their three children and the children's grandmother - told police they were sleeping when the four men broke in and forced them, at gunpoint, into one bedroom.
The men stole 8 pounds of marijuana before leaving. The men came back while the mom was on the phone with 911 after realizing they didn't get as much marijuana as they were expecting.
Prosecutors say Alvaro Felix and Flores opened fire when the officers showed up. Gamez and the Felix brothers entered plea agreements; Flores is still awaiting trial.
Palic has since left the department, in part, because of impact the event had on her.
She received wonderful training from the department, but "nothing can train you for the aftermath," she said.
Gossett told Miller he can't help but wonder what would've happened to his wife and then 3-week-old son had he died that morning.
Deputy Pima County Attorney Kellie Johnson asked Miller to sentence Martin Felix to at least 38 years and Alvaro Felix to at least 42 years. Their attorneys, Chris Kimminau and Joel Feinman, respectively, asked for leniency.
Johnson noted that Martin Felix, then 19, already had a lengthy criminal history and was on parole at the time of the offense.
The victims told detectives that although Alvaro Felix was only 16 at the time, he seemed to be the most violent of the defendants, Johnson said. Instead of hiding in a laundry hamper like Gamez when the police showed up, he decided to "shoot his way out" of the situation.
Miller imposed the 27 1/2-year sentence for Martin Felix and the 31 1/2-year sentence for Alvaro Felix because they are young and remorseful, grew up in a family rife with criminals, and have learning disabilities and mental-health issues.
Gamez, 19, is serving a nine-year prison sentence.
Contact reporter Kim Smith at 573-4241 or kimsmith@azstarnet.com
