Arizona man kills 5 before taking own life
The Associated Press Posted: Jun 2, 2011 5:10 PM ET Last Updated: Jun 2, 2011 8:58 PM ET
Yuma County Sheriff's detectives investigate a homicide at a home east of Wellton, Ariz., on Thursday. At least five people were killed and one was wounded in a series of shootings in southwest Arizona. Craig Fry/Yuma Daily Sun/Associated PressA 73-year-old man shot and killed five people, including the lawyer who represented his ex-wife in their divorce, in multiple locations Thursday in a rampage that rattled the Arizona border city of Yuma.
The suspect also wounded one person before being found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound about two hours after the first shots were fired in Yuma, a city of about 200,000. The lawyer was killed while packing up his office on his last day of work.
Yuma police identified the suspected shooter as Carey Hal Dyess of Yuma.
The timeline of events wasn't immediately clear, but police said they responded to the first call at about 9:30 a.m.
Prominent lawyer Jerrold Shelley was found dead in his downtown law office, Police Chief Jerry Geier said. Shelley represented Dyess's ex-wife in their 2006 divorce. The divorce was Dyess's fifth.
Authorities say Dyess killed four other people elsewhere in Yuma County. An adult man and woman were found dead in a small farm house outside the town of Wellton, said Yuma police Sgt. John Otero, who was helping the sheriff's office process the scene. The tree-shaded home was set back about 30 metres from a highway, with a cow pasture in front.
The suspect was found dead in another location near Wellton, about 40 kilometres east of Yuma.
It's unclear who the other victims were or where they were killed. The wounded person was flown to a Phoenix-area hospital.
The downtown shooting prompted officials to block off a city street and lock down the nearby Yuma County Courthouse and some schools. No one was injured at the courthouse or schools, and the buildings were later reopened.
Court records show Dyess was involved in two civil court cases, one in Yuma and one in nearby Wellton.
A judge issued an order of protection against Dyess in one of the cases in 2006, and a court clerk said it stemmed from Dyess's wife divorcing him. No further information was immediately available on those cases.
Court records also show the 2006 divorce was Dyess's fifth, with the previous four divorces all happening in Washington state.
Yuma attorney Amanda Taylor was friends with Shelley and described him as a good man who was dedicated to his Mormon beliefs.
She said Shelley's wife also worked in the office, and that they have two grown children.
"This is very frightening" she said. "You know, family law, that's some of the most dangerous law to practise because it's so emotional, but it's usually the younger ages when it's about custody issues."
She said Shelley was wrapping up a long career.
"He was retiring. He literally was packing up his office today," Taylor said. "He was an excellent family man. Well-respected in this community. Very kind. I'm just sick. I've lost such a good friend."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/06/02/arizona-shootings.html