Gilbert AZ man kills 4 people including toddler before committing suicide www.privateofficer.com
Gilbert AZ May 3 2012 A man armed with several firearms shot and killed four people, including a toddler, before committing suicide, Gilbert authorities said. Among the dead, sources said, is J.T. Ready, a reputed neo-Nazi who made headlines when he launched a militia movement to patrol the Arizona desert to hunt for illegal immigrants and drug smugglers.
At least one person survived the shooting.
It’s not immediately known the gender or ages of the victims, besides the youngest of the group, a girl between 1 and 2 years old, said Gilbert police Sgt. Bill Balafas. The survivor was being treated at Maricopa Medical Center.
It’s also not immediately known what Ready’s role was in the incident.
The gunman’s motives also is unknown. Authorities recovered two handguns and a shotgun from the scene, Balafas said.
The shootings occurred sometime after 1 p.m. in a residential area in the 500 block of West Tumbleweed Road, near Warner and Cooper roads.
DeAnn Rawson, 38, who has lived in the Lago Estancia neighborhood for 13 years, said she was “sick to my stomach, as you can tell everyone driving by is absolutely shocked.”
Rawson stood on a street corner and answered drivers who rolled down their windows to ask what happened.
“I would have come and got her,” Rawson said of the youngest victim. “It makes me mad. I can’t have children and you have other people doing things that are insane.”
Gary Davis, who also lives in the neighborhood, stood outside Wednesday afternoon, watching the commotion.
“There’s no excuse for taking a child’s life,” Davis said. “Nothing ever happens in this neighborhood. It’s a shock to us.”
Mesquite Junior High School, along with nearby Gilbert Elementary School, was placed on “modified lockdown” status — meaning classes go on as normal, but students are not allowed to leave and no one is allowed to enter the building — until 2 p.m.
Witnesses in the neighborhood said a SWAT team sealed off part of the area and that investigators told residents to remain indoors.
Nearly an hour after the shootings occurred, police were milling around the neighborhood of stucco homes with red-tile roofs. Police tape cordoned off three separate areas of Tumbleweed Road.
Source:www.azcentral.com
