Thfire.com Everyday news that matters A gunman who was later identified as a prominent border militia leader and a reputed neo-Nazi went on a killing spree in Arizona. He even killed a toddler-girl. He later committed suicide.
The gunman opened fire at a house in Gilbert, a suburb of Phoenix, Gilbert Police Sergeant Bill Balafas said. He could not immediately confirm the identity of the gunman.
The Arizona Republic newspaper, citing unnamed police sources, identified the suspected shooter as Jason “JT” Ready, a reputed neo-Nazi who founded the U.S. Border Guard, a militia that hunts for drug traffickers near the Mexican border.
The youngest victim, a girl of between 1 and 2 years old, was still alive at the scene, but later died in a hospital, Balafas said. The other dead were two men and two women. Police believe the shooter was among the dead.
Police found the bodies of two of the adults outside the home and those of the other two adults and the child inside.
Officers recovered two handguns and a shotgun from the scene. However, Balafas said police had been unable to search the house, and confirm the identities of the dead after an unknown liquid was found in two 55-gallon drums outside the house.
“Right now, we have a hold up because we have a potential hazardous chemical situation,” Balafas said.
Investigators subsequently found some “munitions” in the house, and called in federal officers to deal with the items, Balafas said.
A call to the U.S. Border Guard group seeking comment late on Wednesday went unanswered.
Local resident Scott Kirkwood, 43, said neighbors were shocked by the shooting at the home, which he believed was occupied by a family.
“Everyone is shocked and concerned. Nothing like this ever happens in this neighborhood. It’s usually very quiet,” he said.
“I heard sirens pulling up in my backyard. When I went to investigate, there was like 30 cop cars, five ambulances, a fire truck, a SWAT team, the whole nine yards – it was just blanketing the neighborhood,” he added.
