Deadly Phoenix shooting breaks out when a constable serves court documents at a residence

PHOENIX - As a constable was serving court documents at a Phoenix residence, a shooting broke out and a person was killed, the sheriff's office confirmed on July 12.

"A constable was serving court documents in the area of 46th Street and Thomas Road when it’s believed he encountered and then returned gun fire. Detectives have secured the scene. There is one deceased resident, however the cause of the death is not yet determined," said Sgt. Monica Bretado with the sheriff's office in a news release.

Phoenix Police and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene, as well as a crisis team from the Phoenix Fire Department.

The sheriff's office explains that "constables are representatives of the court and are not representatives of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office."

It's not clear if the constable was armed.

Kimberly Johnson is a neighbor and says she knows the man who received the documents.

"I did talk to the guy who lived in the apartment who said he was being evicted," Johnson said.

That’s when something happened.

A man who was working across the street when this all happened said, "I heard the sheriff's office go by first. There was two of them. Then PD rolled in behind them, two more, three more, then they got in. I went over there and by then two more. PD showed up and that’s when you hear this loud noise."

Johnson heard the booms, too, saying, "It was like a bang and then two minutes later, a bang."

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