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Gavin Lee Stansell

Age : 24

Gender : Male

Race : Unknown

Date : 08/25/2022

Location : Lind Commons Apartments, 3493 East Lind Road

City : Tucson

County : Pima

State : Arizona

Agency : Tucson Police Department

Officer(s) :Deborah Martinez-Garibay

Cause of Death : Suicide

Event : Suicide under police duress during eviction

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/25/2022, 24-year-old Gavin Lee Stansell died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound during an eviction at Lind Commons Apartments, 3493 East Lind Road in Tucson. Pima County Constable Deborah Martinez-Garibay and apartment manager Angela Fox-Heath had gone to Stansell’s apartment to enforce a court-ordered eviction when Stansell opened fire.
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The eviction was not based on nonpayment of rent. Court records show the landlord filed the eviction action after allegations that Stansell had threatened and intimidated another resident with a firearm and otherwise disturbed the peace. An eviction hearing was held on 08/22/2022, and the court issued the eviction order on 08/23/2022.
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According to Tucson police, Martinez-Garibay and Fox-Heath were attempting to contact Stansell when he opened fire, fatally shooting 28-year-old Fox-Heath. Responding officers found Fox-Heath in the apartment complex courtyard.
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Police could not initially locate Martinez-Garibay and believed she remained inside Stansell’s apartment. The Tucson Police Department SWAT team was called to the complex and subsequently entered the apartment. Officers found Martinez-Garibay suffering from gunshot wounds and Stansell dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Martinez-Garibay died at the scene.
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Investigators determined that Stansell had also entered a neighboring apartment and fatally shot 25-year-old Elijah Miranda. Miranda was visiting a friend at the complex and had no involvement in Stansell’s eviction. Stansell therefore killed three people — Martinez-Garibay, Fox-Heath and Miranda — before killing himself.
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Residents later described a history of threatening behavior preceding the killings. One neighbor said Stansell had repeatedly caused disturbances and threatened residents and that police had previously been contacted about his behavior. Court documents independently documented an allegation that Stansell had threatened another resident with a firearm, which became part of the basis for his eviction.
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The firearm used in the killings later became the subject of a federal investigation. Federal authorities determined that a lower receiver used in Stansell’s firearm had been purchased by Josue Lopez Quintana in November 2021. Quintana was accused of falsely representing that he was purchasing the receiver for himself and later making false statements to federal investigators about acquiring it for Stansell. Quintana pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time served and three years of supervised release.
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The circumstances of the eviction subsequently produced wrongful-death litigation by Fox-Heath’s surviving husband. The lawsuit alleged that Martinez-Garibay knew Stansell possessed a firearm but nevertheless had Fox-Heath accompany her to enforce the eviction. The litigation also alleged failures involving Martinez-Garibay’s training and the procedures used to conduct the eviction. The Arizona Court of Appeals later addressed immunity issues arising from those claims.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
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Deborah Martinez-Garibay was the Pima County constable serving the eviction order when Stansell killed her. She had been appointed to the position in March 2022. Martinez-Garibay was also a 16-year U.S. Army veteran who served multiple tours in Afghanistan.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.kold.com/2022/08/27/victims-suspect-triple-murder-suicide-midtown-tucson-identified/
https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/26/constable-three-others-killed-during-eviction-apartment-complex-arizona/
https://www.azfamily.com/2022/09/01/live-family-friends-honor-fallen-pima-county-constable/
https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/constable-killing-court-docs-showed-threat
https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/details-released-in-shooting-that-left-claimed-the-life-of-constable-deborah-martinez-garibay
https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/tucson-man-charged-for-false-statement-during-mass-shooting-investigation
https://law.justia.com/cases/arizona/court-of-appeals-division-two-published/2024/2-ca-sa-2023-0091-0.html
https://www.abc15.com/news/region-central-southern-az/tucson/50m-claim-filed-over-fatal-eviction-shooting-in-tucson