GUILTY AZ - Five people shot to death in Mesa home, 21 Feb 2006

richandfamous said:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/3674167.html

MESA, Ariz. — Police found five people dead in a suburban home Tuesday morning while responding to calls about shots fired in the area.

-------------------------------------

wow, didn't this already happen in phx not to long ago?

Hey, rich! Hope all is well.

Yes, it does seemed like something similar happened not too long ago in your neck of the woods. Awful.
 
This happened literally less than a mile from my house. I pass by this place twice a day, every day, sometimes more. This morning I saw 3 helicopters in the air, just hovering-not even moving, and I knew something was going on. This home is in a very nice neighborhood (not that it really seems to make any sort of difference).

Although they haven't yet identified the victims, I am fairly certain that children are included.:( On the news reports, you could see the various childrens bikes in the garage, and since it happened very early in the morning, any children living there would be home at that time. I'm feeling pretty sick about this--not just because of the nature of this, but I'm so afraid that when they release the names of the victims, it may be someone I know, or worse, a friend or classmate of my 10 year old son.:(

A strange sidenote to this----Apparently this happened around 2:40 this morning. At that same time, my dog Ziggy (a tiny yorkie) woke up and started barking his head off. I wasn't overly concerned about an intruder, because my other 2 dogs weren't barking at all--and they do bark if someone approaches or if anything is amiss. But, Ziggy just wouldn't stop, and he even starting HOWLING, for about 5 minutes, and he never ever acts like that, it was so bizarre. I know that a mile away is probably too far for him to have heard anything (the neighbors of the victims reported screams and gunfire), but, I don't know--it's just wierd. His behavior can't be related to this, but it's very bizarre to me that it was at exactly the same time, and the fact that he just doesn't act like that.
 
This article has a tad bit more information, not much. I thought we could at least use this station for another news source in case there are more updates.

Police find five people dead in Mesa home
MESA, Ariz. (AP) -- Police found five people dead in a suburban home Tuesday morning while investigating calls about screams and gunshots coming from the area.

Detective Tim Gaffney said a SWAT team forced its way into the house after getting no response from anyone inside.

...Officers used the phone and a public address system and knocked on the doors to try to contact anyone inside. As a precaution, police didn't enter the home until several hours after the first officers arrived, Gaffney said.

More: http://www.abc15.com/news/index.asp?did=24919
 
julianne,

Its honestly not weird your little doggie acted up. Animals can sense danger. Animals also can smell scents we can't. Animals have a very keen sense of hearing. So its very possible he was alerting you to danger.
 
I agree with cheko1. I'm sure your doggie sensed something. I mean we always hear about how animals can sense an impending earthquake and such.
Julianne, it must be weird for you to have something like this happen so close to home. I know the feeling, we had a murder a block away from where we live last year. It's really freaky to see the yellow crime tape and all the police and media everywhere. Kind of jolts you to a strange reality. It's like watching a true crime show but it's real, and bizarre.
 
A neighbor said he heard 2 loud bangs and a woman screaming around 2:30 a.m.; and he listened to see if he could hear anything else, he didnt, and then he discounted it as something going on at a construction site???? At 2 in the morning? Weird.

Also, people are saying the hear 2 sounds, like a bang. There were 5 dead people. I wonder if some were killed differently?
 
I know it SOUNDS strange to think of construction to be going on at 2:00 a.m., but it is actually a very common occurence here in the Valley (Mesa, Tempe, Phoenix). There is alot of road construction underway right now right in the immediate vicinity of the murders, both on surface streets and on a newly constructed freeway that is still in the process of being completed. The road crews work the "graveyard shift", i.e. between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m to minimize the affect on traffic. It's not unusual to see a full crew of many workers at 2:00 a.m., under bright lights, working on a road or freeway. They wrap up their work by about 5:00 a.m., just in time for the daily rush hour traffic to begin, and then they start again that night after 10:00.

Misty-it is very strange that this happens so close to home. I don't know the actual house it took place in--it is in a subdivision that borders the street and you have to actually enter the subdivision to get to the house. I am leaving right now to pick up my son from school and will be driving by it. I'm praying he doesn't know anything about it--the only reason he would is if one of the victims went to his school.
 
julianne said:
I know it SOUNDS strange to think of construction to be going on at 2:00 a.m., but it is actually a very common occurence here in the Valley (Mesa, Tempe, Phoenix). There is alot of road construction underway right now right in the immediate vicinity of the murders, both on surface streets and on a newly constructed freeway that is still in the process of being completed. The road crews work the "graveyard shift", i.e. between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m to minimize the affect on traffic. It's not unusual to see a full crew of many workers at 2:00 a.m., under bright lights, working on a road or freeway. They wrap up their work by about 5:00 a.m., just in time for the daily rush hour traffic to begin, and then they start again that night after 10:00.

Misty-it is very strange that this happens so close to home. I don't know the actual house it took place in--it is in a subdivision that borders the street and you have to actually enter the subdivision to get to the house. I am leaving right now to pick up my son from school and will be driving by it. I'm praying he doesn't know anything about it--the only reason he would is if one of the victims went to his school.

I did not consider road construction at night, that makes sense. I was thinking of building construction.
 
julianne said:
A strange sidenote to this----Apparently this happened around 2:40 this morning. At that same time, my dog Ziggy (a tiny yorkie) woke up and started barking his head off. I wasn't overly concerned about an intruder, because my other 2 dogs weren't barking at all--and they do bark if someone approaches or if anything is amiss. But, Ziggy just wouldn't stop, and he even starting HOWLING, for about 5 minutes, and he never ever acts like that, it was so bizarre. I know that a mile away is probably too far for him to have heard anything (the neighbors of the victims reported screams and gunfire), but, I don't know--it's just wierd. His behavior can't be related to this, but it's very bizarre to me that it was at exactly the same time, and the fact that he just doesn't act like that.
Your little dog probably did hear the shots. Dogs are amazing they can hear sounds up to four times the distance that humans can.
 
Unfortunately, it appears that at least one of these victims was a child. The local news crews must know the identity, because as I was picking up one of my kids from school, there was a satellite truck and channel 12 news van there, with a camera set up across the street from the school, and they were interviewing students walking on the sidewalks. There are two schools right next to each other, one is a junior high and the other is a high school. I called the school to ask why the news crews were there and was told that it was related to an incident that didn't happen on campus and that they were interviewing students for their reactions to the incident. I asked if "the incident" was the murders, and was told yes. So, obviously, if the news crews traveled from the scene to the schools, well....ugh! So freakin' sad. And senseless.

Also, I think it's a bit tacky on the part of the news people to go camp out directly in front of the schools and stop students walking home to "get their reaction". I mean, nobody at this point knows who the victims are, except probably LE and now, the news people. I don't know...it's just tacky. Let kids be kids. I mean, what kind of reactions do they think these kids are going to have? The news people are most likely telling the kids the names of the victims...their probably just hoping that they get the "big scoop" and tell some poor kid that his/her friend was brutally murdered so they can get an emotional, gut-wrenching reaction on camera. Tacky, tacky, tacky.
 
julianne said:
Unfortunately, it appears that at least one of these victims was a child. The local news crews must know the identity, because as I was picking up one of my kids from school, there was a satellite truck and channel 12 news van there, with a camera set up across the street from the school, and they were interviewing students walking on the sidewalks. There are two schools right next to each other, one is a junior high and the other is a high school. I called the school to ask why the news crews were there and was told that it was related to an incident that didn't happen on campus and that they were interviewing students for their reactions to the incident. I asked if "the incident" was the murders, and was told yes. So, obviously, if the news crews traveled from the scene to the schools, well....ugh! So freakin' sad. And senseless.

Also, I think it's a bit tacky on the part of the news people to go camp out directly in front of the schools and stop students walking home to "get their reaction". I mean, nobody at this point knows who the victims are, except probably LE and now, the news people. I don't know...it's just tacky. Let kids be kids. I mean, what kind of reactions do they think these kids are going to have? The news people are most likely telling the kids the names of the victims...their probably just hoping that they get the "big scoop" and tell some poor kid that his/her friend was brutally murdered so they can get an emotional, gut-wrenching reaction on camera. Tacky, tacky, tacky.

Yes, tacky but then we all know media has no boundries/morals/integrity. But they are holding back on who it is and what happened here on the local news.
Keep us posted on what's happening Julieanne! It just seems so strange that there is not more info on this story...this is huge. Geeze the first report was from some media source back east.

(hey Kato!! I'm still working my butt off. hope all is well with you too!)
 
Local channel 5 news says they don't know if the killer is still on the loose or if this was a murder suicide thing. The dead are a man, woman, a teen boy and girl and a 10 yr old boy. Neighbors are saying that the man and woman kept to themselves and the family just moved in to too long ago.

Everything is still pretty tight lipped on local level.
 
How sad.
Julianne, you, too, are in my prayers. A 10 year old boy--same age as your son. Senseless.
15yo girl
18yo man
30yo man
32yo woman

All so young!!!!
 
cheko1 said:
julianne,

Its honestly not weird your little doggie acted up. Animals can sense danger. Animals also can smell scents we can't. Animals have a very keen sense of hearing. So its very possible he was alerting you to danger.
I agree-- your little guy knew or sensed something very wrong--perhaps the other 2 werent as concerned because of the distance- i am sure they knew something was going on too- animals are incredible;)
 
richandfamous said:
Local channel 5 news says they don't know if the killer is still on the loose or if this was a murder suicide thing. The dead are a man, woman, a teen boy and girl and a 10 yr old boy. Neighbors are saying that the man and woman kept to themselves and the family just moved in to too long ago.

Everything is still pretty tight lipped on local level.
sometimes i dont understand how they cant decipher between the 2 with this many hours passed- but again, i understand LE keeping things under the rug, until necessary to make public-- how very sad either way-- prayers to the families involved--:blowkiss:
 

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