Mesa pet shop shooting: Family remembers victim killed by store employee

MESA, Ariz. - After a man was shot dead outside a Mesa pet store over the weekend, the victim's family say they want justice for their loved one.

The incident happened on the night of Jan. 27, when officers responded to the area of Alma School Road and 8th Avenue for reports of a shooting at a pet store. 911 dispatchers were told an employee of a pet store had been involved in a shooting behind the business.

Detectives say the victim was trespassing on the property when two female employees, along with a 21-year-old identified in court documents as Jakob Aaron Urias, told him to leave. The women went back in to call 911, and while they were on the phone, Urias pulled the trigger, and then admitted it to the officers who arrived on scene.

The victim, initially identified by police as a 32-year-old man, died at a hospital. Loved ones have since identified him as Curtis James, Jr.

"We just want justice for my little brother, because we don’t think this guy should be able to go free just like that," said Curtis' sister, Shenna James.

"My son had to die for it," said Curtis' mother, Ann Ashley. "To me, it’s just a senseless death, that my son was taken from me. I want justice for my son."

Sheena said it was simply a case of the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I think that he just stopped by that pet store just to rest up, because he was riding his bike," said Sheena. "That’s when they said that he was trespassing, and that’s when he was shot."

Sheena, along with the victim's mother, traveled to the Phoenix area from Sanders, a town located in Apache County that is about 54 miles east of Holbrook along the I-40, to clean Curtis' belongings out of the sober living home he was being treated at. Soon, the family will plan Curtis' funeral, and bury him on the reservation he came from.

"He was my strength," said Ann. "He was a kind, loving person. He cares for people. Especially, he has a lot care for elderly people. He’s helpful. That’s how I want to remember my son."

Urias' side of the story revealed in court docs

Jakob Aaron Urias

Court documents gave new details on what led up to the shooting that killed Curtis.

Investigators state that when officers arrived at the scene, they found Curtis suffering from several gunshot wounds. The victim was not identified by name in the documents.

In addition, detectives said a semi-auto handgun was found on a desk in the store's back employee area.

"Detectives learned from three other employees in the store that Urias was taking out the trash when he reentered the business and said a subject, identified as the victim, was outside laying near the building. Two employees asked the victim to leave who was having difficulty getting up and seemed intoxicated. The two employees went back inside the business and were calling police to have the victim removed," read a portion of the documents.

It was during the call to police when detectives said Urias went back outside. Several seconds later, three gunshots were heard by the two employees inside.

"They looked outside and saw the victim bleeding, stumbling toward the building and stopping at a bicycle he owned which was next to the building. One employee also saw Urias behind the victim lifting up the bottom of his shirt and placing a handgun into his front waistband," read a portion of the documents. "Urias then walked into the business and stated the victim was asking him questions and coming at him. He told another employee he shot the victim three times. One of the employees overheard Urias make a phone call telling someone on the other end that he needed a ride and that he shot someone."

Urias, according to detectives, said during a post-Miranda interview that the victim "pulled up his pants and started aggressively walking toward him" when he was told that police were being called. 

"When asked why Urias did not stay inside the business when police were being called, he said he wanted to clean up the dumpster and give the victim another opportunity to leave. When asked why he did not run away from the victim or flee, he said he made a split-second decision and felt he needed to stand his ground. He also felt he would get into trouble if he left work and felt he could not run away from the victim," read a portion of the court documents. "When asked if he would have tried to de-escalate the situation or flee if he was not armed, Urias said that he would have done things differently."

Urias, according to court documents, has records of previous arrests. Those arrests, however, were not listed in court documents. He is accused of Second Degree Murder, and a judge has set a cash-only $500,000 bond.