An Arizona constable who got the job earlier this year when her predecessor quit over frustration about serving eviction notices was shot and killed while carrying out that same duty. The gunman, his neighbor and the manager of his apartment complex also died, authorities said.
The shooting happened just after 11 a.m. Thursday at the Lind Commons Apartments in Tucson. Constable Deborah Martinez-Garibay and Angela Fox-Heath, the complex manager, were attempting to serve an eviction notice on Gavin Lee Stansell when he opened fire, according to police.
Fox-Heath, 28, was found fatally hit. Responding officers found her in a courtyard.
A SWAT team went into Stansell’s apartment and located a wounded Martinez-Garibay, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
They found Stansell, 24, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
A wider search of his home found Stansell had entered the apartment next door and fatally shot Elijah Miranda, 25. Police are trying to determine how he was able to gain entry, police spokesman Sgt. Richard Gradillas said.
Investigators don’t yet know why the constable entered the apartment or whether Stansell had tried to reject the notice.
There were no witnesses to the attack, Gradillas said. He doubted there was video of the incident, saying he didn’t think the constable was wearing a body camera.
The Pima County Constables Office said staff were devastated by the killing of Martinez-Garibay, 43. She gave her life in service to the people of Arizona, the office said.
REST IN PEACE: Authorities confirm Pima County Constable Deborah Martinez-Garibay died in the alleged triple murder-suicide in midtown Tucson on Thursday.
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“We all know that the job of an Arizona constable comes with risk, but we go about our business with caution and professionalism and treat all with whom we come in contact with respect and dignity,” the office said in a statement.
Residents at the apartment complex were evacuated but later let back into their homes, news outlets reported.
An eviction complaint filed on Aug. 15 by a landlord in Pima County Consolidated Justice Court indicated that Stansell had previously threatened violence.
The complaint said he or his guest had threatened and intimidated neighbors with a gun on July 27.
Stansell failed to appear at a hearing in the case set for Monday, court records said.
According to the records, a judge ruled that Stansell had breached his lease agreement, writing: “The evidence shows that defendant threatened another resident with a firearm and has otherwise disturbed the peace.”
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey ordered flags fly at half-staff in all state buildings Friday in honor of the slain constable.
“The loss of Constable Deborah Martinez is felt across our …….