GILBERT, Ariz. — A two-year-old child was among four people shot and killed inside an Arizona home Wednesday by a neo-Nazi militia leader, who then shot himself dead.
Jason “J.T.” Ready, a former Marine, had previously made headlines when he started a militia — named the US Border Guard — to hunt illegal immigrants and drug gangs in the Arizona desert, FOX News Channel reported.
Before that, he led the white supremacist National Socialist Movement. He had also put himself forward as a candidate for the position of Pinal County Sheriff.
(REUTERS)
A police officer walks with a man who said he had a child inside of the Arizona home where five people were shot Wednesday. (AP)
Ambulances and dozens of police officers were dispatched to the home in Gilbert, southeast of Phoenix, at about 1:30 p.m local time. That was 90 minutes after local police had received a call about a domestic violence incident involving Ready and his girlfriend, FOX was told by authorities at the scene.
Found dead alongside Ready were his girlfriend Lisa Mederos, 47, her daughter Amber Mederos, 22, and Amber’s boyfriend Jim Hoitt, 22, myFOXphoenix.com reported. Amber’s daughter Lilly, aged two, was rushed to the hospital and multiple sources said she later died.
Another of Lisa Mederos’ daughters, an unnamed 19-year-old, was interviewed by authorities. Reports said she either survived the spree or was the person who discovered the bloodbath.
A motive for the violence was not known.
Two handguns and a shotgun were found at the scene. A law enforcement official told FOX that reports Ready was wearing body armor were untrue.
An investigator said, “This is a domestic situation. We do have a witness that our investigators are interviewing.”
“If I had any inkling that this guy was violent or anything like that, there’s no way they would’ve stayed there, my daughters wouldn’t have put one foot in that house … I regret not even looking into it,” Hugo Mederos, Lisa Mederos’ Florida-based ex-husband, said.
Investigators will reveal more about the case at a 7:00am Thursday press conference.