Report: Tucson gunman told dad of shooting spree plan

The man who shot and killed three people, including a Pima County constable, before turning the gun on himself told his father that he planned to shoot police and “as many people as possible” when he was to be evicted, a new police report says.

On Aug. 25, Gavin Lee Stansell, 24, gunned down Deborah Martinez-Garibay, a constable, and Angela Fox-Heath, 28, the manager at the apartment complex where he lived when Martinez-Garibay tried to serve him with an eviction notice. He went on to kill Elijah Miranda, 25, a bystander, before turning the gun on himself.

Stansell’s mother had requested a wellness check on her son the day before the shooting, according to the Tucson Police Department report. She did so after receiving a “disturbing text” from an unknown phone number that she believed came from her son.

After the shooting, the mother told police she didn’t know about his plans for a shootout until she spoke to Stansell’s father on the day of the attack. The father reportedly told her about Stansell’s plan to ambush police and others during his eviction, the report said.

When interviewed by police, Stansell’s father said his son told him the day before the shooting that he had a short-barreled rifle and planned for a “suicide by police,” the report said.

In the report, Stansell told investigators that he thought his son was bluffing and making a cry for help. He said he did not believe his son would follow through with the threat, the report says.

The dad advised Stansell, who moved to Tucson because he was on the run from police in Hawaii due to probation violations, to get rid of the gun. Stansell then told his father he’d have a friend pick up the weapon.

Stansell’s mother and father planned to come to Tucson the next day, dispose of the gun and get him to come back to Hawaii and deal with the probation issue, the report said.

Gunman: ‘I love you dad im sorry’

On the morning of the shooting, Stansell’s mother, who thought he was being evicted on Aug. 28, spoke to Fox-Heath and told her they would pay the rent he owed. Fox-Heath told his mother that his eviction was not due to rent money, but because of issues with neighbors and safety concerns, the report said.

Fox-Heath was not made aware of Stansell’s plan during the phone call, the report said.

The mother also told police Stansell’s attorney in Hawaii advised her to call authorities and warn them after she told him about his “plan.” According to the report, the timeline of when she knew about the plan was unclear and “there was no evidence that she had called police after the initial report of the text.”

Shortly before 11 a.m. on Aug. 25, Fox-Heath and Martinez-Garibay met at the apartment complex and headed toward Stansell’s unit. Martinez-Garibay knocked on Stansell’s door, telling him that she is from the constable’s office and to open up, according to officers who reviewed video footage of the incident.

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Martinez-Garibay continued to ask Stansell to open the door and told him that she would have to call police if he refused to comply. She might have made entry into the apartment using a key and “potentially had a verbal exchange with Stansell,” the report says.

Shortly after that, Stansell opened fire. Martinez-Garibay was not armed at the time. He gun was found later in her car.

Three minutes before the first shots were fired, Stansell texted his father, “I love you dad im sorry,” the report said.

Fox-Heath is then seen running down the stairs as Stansell shot at her. Gunfire also is heard from inside the apartment, which officers believe were aimed at Martinez-Garibay, the report said.

Pounding noises were heard as Stansell burrowed into the apartment next door.

Miranda, who was taking a nap at his friend’s apartment at the time, was then fatally shot, the report said.

One last shot is heard as Stansell shoots himself, the report said.

Inside Stansell’s apartment, police found him wearing a ballistic vest with a patch on it that said “menace.” He also wore ear muffs and a bala clava, a face covering. A short barreled rifle was on the ground next to Stansell’s body.

Stansell’s body armor was equipped with side plates, which are common in law enforcement and military applications but rare for most civilians to have, the report said.

Both Martinez-Garibay and Fox-Heath were shot multiple times, including gunshot wounds to their heads, the report said. Miranda was shot in his lower torso.

A Tucson man was later arrested and sentenced to three years probation after an investigation found he purchased the lower receiver for Stansell and lied to authorities about not getting it on behalf of another person.