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Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona announced Thursday that he would issue semiautomatic AR-15 rifles to all patrol deputies and require them to carry a firearm even when off-duty, the Arizona Republic reported.The move was apparently unrelated to an incident earlier in the day when a jail worker with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office was shot to death in his front yard while starting his truck, according to the newspaper. Plans for the news conference had been made earlier in the week. Still, Arpaio used the opportunity to talk about the death of his employee.
"It's very sad what happened," Arpaio said, as quoted by the Republic. "This unfortunate situation that occurred dovetails somewhat into ... issuing my officers these semiautomatic AR-15 assault rifles."
More: Sheriff Joe Arpaio Issues AR-15s to Deputies