Overview
- In a 12 News interview, Mayes described Arizona's Stand Your Ground law and stressed the need for clearly identified officers, noting people are not allowed to shoot peace officers.
- Mayes later said she was not advocating violence, arguing ICE tactics are eroding public trust and citing recent deaths during ICE encounters as context for her warning.
- Republican officials, including Senate Majority Leader John Kavanagh, Rep. Abe Hamadeh, and congressional candidate Mark Lamb, demanded a retraction or resignation.
- Law enforcement groups criticized the remarks, with the Arizona Police Association warning that such statements could be misread and the Arizona Sheriffs’ Association issuing an open letter about the risk to officers.
- David Harvey, the Arizona Attorney General’s law-enforcement liaison, resigned following the controversy, according to Fox’s Phoenix affiliate as reported by Deseret News.