Murder-suicide results in Tuesday morning school lockdown
By Curtis Riggs | January 7, 2009
Woman found dead outside, man found dead inside
MARICOPA COUNTY – Two people were killed in an early-morning shooting Tuesday, which caused a lockdown at Cactus Shadows High School, Desert Arroyo Middle School, Lone Mountain Elementary School and Black Mountain Elementary School for an hour while Sheriff’s officers searched for the shooter.
Cave Creek Unified School District sent an outdial communication to parents and staff early this morning through their Phone Notification System. Another communication was sent at around 9:30 a.m. and posted on school and district web sites because some people did not receive the communication in a timely manner. Children were diverted to a local church.
Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Brian Lee, who serves as the department’s public-information officer, said a 911 call was received at 4 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6 reporting shots fired at 6036 E. Lowden. The house, owned by a man from Wilcox, is located a couple of blocks south of Lone Mountain Road.
Lee said when officers arrived on scene they made contact with an intoxicated woman who told them she saw a man shoot another woman outside the home and then take off.
“They located the woman who had suffered the gunshot wound and secured the area because it was so dark and there were many shrubs to hide behind,” Lee said. “They then set up a perimeter and a search area.”
According to Dep. Doug Matteson, an MCSO SWAT team conducted a slow and methodical search of the area. Deputies advised residents to stay inside.
With the help of a robot, officers were able to enter the home the SWAT team had surrounded by around 8 a.m. where they found a man, believed to be the suspect, who had also been shot. Police are considering the incident a murder-suicide.
It’s unclear as to how the situation transpired,” said MCSO Lt. Brian Lee. Investigators have not determined the relationship between the victim and the alleged suspect. They are talking to the woman who made the original call.
The lockdown of the schools ended at approximately 8:30 a.m.
Photo by Linda Bentley: The medical examiner had just left this home on East Lowden Dr. at about 5 p.m. Tuesday, the site of an apparent murder-suicide that sent a Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office helicopter to scour the area following a 4 a.m. 911 call from “a very intoxicated female” who reported a man had just shot a woman.