Tucson Region

The 3 who paid dearly

Deputy Timothy Graham

Timothy Graham grew up outside Chicago and dreamed of becoming a police officer. In Tucson, he found career success and love. In Illinois, he worked as a security officer while he took college classes in criminal justice. He took his first armed post at age 21, guarding federal buildings in the Chicago area, and then worked for a year and a half with the Illinois Department of Corrections at a maximum-security prison. After moving to Tucson, he worked for three years with the Arizona Department of Corrections at the Eyman Complex in Florence. "I then found out (the) Pima County Sheriff's Department was hiring, so I decided that it was time to follow my dream of becoming a police officer," he wrote in an autobiography at the Southern Arizona Law Enforcement Academy. "Now I am following that dream." Last September, he answered a call about a mobile home on fire. He made sure no one was inside and helped rescue three dogs from a kennel. He also set up help for the displaced family through the American Red Cross. In April, he handled a complicated call about an attempted suicide at the jail. He found the woman's family so they could say goodbye to their loved one before she died. Colleagues and friends knew him as enthusiastic, dedicated and compassionate. "He was always a happy guy. He always had jokes for us," said 911 dispatcher and friend Teresa Dupee. "He really enjoyed being a police officer." A few weeks ago, Graham married Sherry Diebolt, 37, in Las Vegas. They had applied for a marriage license around a year ago. He sold his house to a friend and began life with his new wife and two stepsons, 8 and 11. ... Dawud Isa Abusida

Dawud Isa Abusida, 56, was a veteran Tucson cabdriver who started his own business, Budget Cabs, just two months ago. He also was a scientist, with a master's degree in food science from the University of Arizona, a fact that surprised many of his co-workers, who said he never mentioned it, though he displayed a keen intelligence. His co-workers and his family were not surprised to learn he died while trying to help a sheriff's deputy. His youngest son, Islam, 24, said his father's actions were consistent with the man he had become. "I'm really proud of him and what he did, even though it did cost him his life," he said. He said his father did "a lot of good things and gave good advice. He always told me to plan as if you're going to live forever but prepare yourself like you're going to die today." Dawud Abusida was a Palestinian who emigrated from Saudi Arabia to the United States, where he thought the future would be brighter for him, his wife and their four children. He earned his master's in 1979 and went back to Saudi Arabia. He returned to Tucson in 1987 and his family followed in 1989. He wasn't perfect, his son said, and the family had problems early in their stay here. Abusida and his wife, Seham, divorced, but they reconciled and remarried seven years ago. "My dad turned his life around," Abusida said. Islam Abusida said his father's religion was important to him and the reason he named his youngest son to honor it. Abusida said he and his father had developed a loving relationship in just the past year. "We cleared up our past and started a new friendship." He said his father stopped by his home Sunday. "He said he missed me and just wanted to see me." In addition to his wife and youngest son, Abusida is survived by his brother, Esam, of Tucson; two other sons, Ala, of Franklin, Ohio, and Eisa, of Phoenix; a daughter, Sohare, who lives in Jordan; and four grandchildren. - Tom Beal

... Aaron Swyers

Aaron Swyers, 23, had a "very lengthy history of criminal activity," Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said. Swyers had numerous arrests in the county as a juvenile and an adult, on charges including theft and drugs, the sheriff said. He also had mental-health problems, was violent and made several suicide attempts, Dupnik said. Swyers' precise criminal history is unclear. Sheriff's Department officials provided no further details on Swyers' past other than Dupnik's statements. A search of court records turned up just two traffic tickets for Swyers. He also had several referrals to the Pima County Juvenile Court Center, but those records weren't immediately available Thursday. Attempts to contact Swyers' family were unsuccessful. - Eric Swedlund