An eviction notice that was served in Tucson, Arizona on August 25, led to four people being shot and killed, including a local constable who was a US army veteran.
The shooting occurred in the late morning at the Lind Commons Apartments in Tucson.
An eviction complaint had been filed 10 days before by a landlord because the man leasing the apartment had threatened violence.
Details are scanty, but the Governor of Arizona, Doug Ducey, said that a Pima County Constable, Deborah Martinez-Garibay, 43, was one of the victims, and that she was the person delivering the eviction notice.
The suspected shooter was also killed.
Local news reported that an employee of the apartment complex was also shot and killed.
The suspect, Gavin Lee Stansell, who lived at the apartment complex, allegedly had threatened and intimidated his neighbors at the end of July with a firearm.
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.”
Stansell was supposed to appear at a hearing on Monday but failed to show up.
“The loss of Constable Deborah Martinez is felt across our state,” Ducey said in a news release. “Whether it was serving in the U.S. Army or carrying out her duties as a constable for Pima County, she dedicated her life to helping others and her community.”
The deceased constable did multiple tours in Afghanistan before her retirement after 16 years of service in the military.