Tragedy in Yuma: Shootings Leave Five Dead

The gunman's body was located with apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

Salem-News.com

(YUMA, Az.) - "Wow, murder in Yuma, five dead and the suspect killed himself. The daycare center sent an email stating that the kids were fine, and until that moment I never even considered that he was in danger, just proves that the actions of others are out of your control," said Kristina Grandlund.

Those words from an old friend of ours in Yuma, put a shocking tone on the deadly shooting incident in this Arizona town adjacent to both the Mexican and California state borders.

Media reports suggest that the assailant was motivated by his anger over a divorce case. His actions are described as a 'shooting spree'. Five people were killed before the gunman turned the weapon on himself.

Schools were placed in lockdown status as police launched their investigation.

The Yuma Police Department and Yuma County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the tragic incident. They say one of the five shooting victims was flown to a Phoenix area hospital.

According to Yuma Police:

"There was one shooting in the City of Yuma in the 300 block South 2nd Avenue. That investigation revealed an elderly male suspect entered a business and shot and killed an adult male. The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office reported they were investigating five shootings in Yuma County."

They say that as the investigation continued, the shootings within Yuma County and City appeared to be linked. The suspect was identified as 73-year old Carey Hal Dyess of Yuma.

The names of the victims are not being released at this time, however Reuters spoke with Yuma Police Chief Jerry Geier, and learned that one of the victims is attorney Jerrold Shelley, who was shot inside of his downtown Yuma law office.

Police say Yuma County Sheriff's deputies located the body of Carey Dyess around 11:30 a.m., in the area of Blaisdell and Highway 95, with what appears to be a have been a self-inflicted gun shot wound.

Yuma's downtown is an historic area, while a large percentage of the area's winter visitors, mostly retired people from Oregon, Canada and other regions, tend to live in the Yuma Foothills which is a community situated a few miles east of Yuma near the Cargo Muchacho Mountains.

This is a joint investigation between the Yuma Police Department and the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office.

Arizona was the scene of a recent police Murder of a U.S. Marine who was mistakenly (apparently) identified as a drug suspect. Police fired 71 bullets into the man's home, striking him 60 times.

In January, a nine year old girl and a federal judge were among six shot and killed; Twelve people were taken to a hospital including Arizona State Rep. Gabrielle Giffords who was shot in the head.

References:

Jun-02-2011: Shooting in Yuma, Arizona, leaves 6 dead - The Baltimore Sun

Jan-08-2011: Five Shot in Tucson: Federal Judge Dies, Arizona Rep. Shot - Tim King Salem-News.com

May-25-2011: Arizona Cops Blast Marine Veteran to Death on Bad Information - Tim King Salem-News.com

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Tim King: Salem-News.com Editor and Writer

Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines.

Tim holds awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Silver Spoke Award by the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (2011), Excellence in Journalism Award by the Oregon Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs (2010), Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), First-place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Tim has several years of experience in network affiliate news TV stations, having worked as a reporter and photographer at NBC, ABC and FOX stations in Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. Tim was a member of the National Press Photographer's Association for several years and is a current member of the Orange County Press Club.

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