A shooting in an eviction dispute in Tuscon, Arizona, which prompted a massive response from up to 100 police officers, led to multiple deaths, according to authorities.
Constable Deborah Martinez was confirmed to have been shot and killed Thursday morning while carrying out an eviction, her colleague Constable Bennett Bernal told the Arizona Daily Star. A second unidentified person was killed as well, according to associate presiding Constable Bill Lake. KOLD News 13 reported that the gunman turned the gun on himself and that four people in total were killed, but police have not confirmed that report.
SWAT teams and hostage negotiators were on the scene, according to on-scene KNUN 9 reporter Perla Shaheen.
BREAKING: Around 100 officers coming in and out of Lind Commons in an active investigation: SWAT and hostage negotiators on scene. An officer tells me investigators will be here all day. Multiple injuries. We’ll have more on @kgun9 tonight at 4,5,6. pic.twitter.com/yLoPDbTf8s
— Perla Shaheen (@perlashaheen) August 25, 2022
The Tuscon Police Department told ABC 15 that a SWAT team had to negotiate a hostage situation with “one victim … involved, plus multiple injuries.” Police also said the original threat is diminished, though the scene remains active.
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Police said the apartment complex had been evacuated. “We can confirm a homicide investigation is underway,” TPD said on Twitter. “Out of respect for those involved we cannot confirm any names or details until next of kin has been notified.”
The shooting began when Martinez arrived at an apartment complex on Thursday morning to serve an eviction for Gavin Lee Stansell, following several complaints that he had “disturbed the peace” and threatened another resident with a firearm, according to court records seen by the Arizona Daily Star. Her colleague Bernal said Martinez was shot and killed at the residence. The gunman then shot out the window of the apartment at someone else outside the apartment before exiting the apartment and proceeding to fire an execution shot at the same person, associate Lake said.
According to KOLD News 13, the second victim was the apartment manager, and after shooting the two, the gunman turned the gun on himself. Whether the third victim was the gunman or someone else was also not confirmed by police.
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The deadly shooting came amid record-high evictions in Pima County, where the shooting took place, with evictions in 2022 already surpassing all of those of 2021, according to the Arizona Daily Star. Martinez, a veteran who had joined the military following 9/11, had only just recently taken the position as constable in March. She promised to handle the unpleasant business of evictions with “empathy and humanity.”
“When I deal with the people that I have to evict, I understand that’s my responsibility, but they’re still people,” she said earlier this year. “Just giving some basic dignity and respect can go so far in helping these people rebuild their lives.”
