REST IN PEACE: Authorities confirm Pima County Constable Deborah Martinez-Garibay has died in an alleged triple murder-suicide in downtown Tucson on Thursday. MORE: pic.twitter.com/Qee7YxNdBd — azfamily 3TV CBS 5 (@azfamily) August 26, 2022 “We all know that the job of an Arizona police officer carries risks, but we do our jobs with care and professionalism and treat everyone we come into contact with with respect and dignity,” the office said in a statement.
Residents of the apartment complex were evacuated but later returned to their homes, news outlets reported. An eviction complaint filed Aug. 15 by a landlord in Pima County Unified Justice Court indicated that Stansell had previously made threats of violence. The complaint said he or his guest had threatened and intimidated neighbors with a gun on July 27. Stansell did not appear at a hearing in the case set for Monday, according to court records. According to the records, a judge found Stansell in breach of his lease agreement, writing, “The evidence shows that the defendant threatened another resident with a firearm and otherwise disturbed the peace.” Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey ordered all state buildings to be flown at half-staff Friday in honor of the slain trooper. “The loss of Constable Deborah Martinez is felt throughout our state,” Ducey said in a news release. “Whether she was serving in the U.S. Army or performing her duties as a constable for Pima County, she dedicated her life to helping others and her community.” Martinez-Garibay became a Justice Precinct 8 constable earlier this year, Ducey said. He was a Tucson native “who will be remembered for the way he treated others with dignity and respect,” the governor said. “It’s just unreal, for someone to do this to another person,” her husband, Gabriel Garibay, told the Tucson Sentinel on Thursday. “I’m still trying to piece it together. It seems unreal, I still think it’s a joke somewhere, but it’s just a way of describing it. I don’t know how to explain it.” Around 6 p.m. Thursday, Martinez-Garibay’s body was escorted from the area by law enforcement officers, who formed an honor guard. Motorcycle police and other law enforcement vehicles led a line with lights flashing. Her Ford F-150 remained at the scene Thursday afternoon, with a small “Constable” sign on the door, the newspaper reported. Constables are elected peace officers who serve civil or criminal dockets for the Pima Justice Court and many county agencies. They can also serve documents from courts outside the area. Martinez-Garibay enlisted in the U.S. Army after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and served multiple tours in Afghanistan before retiring after 16 years. After leaving the military, she volunteered at local nonprofits dedicated to veterans and their families, the governor’s press release said. He was appointed constable after the resignation of the previous one. “When I’m dealing with the people I have to evict, I understand it’s my responsibility, but they’re still people,” he said in March, according to the Arizona Daily Star. “Just giving some basic dignity and respect can go so far in helping these people rebuild their lives.” Former police officer Kristen Randall was frustrated by having to serve people with eviction notices while not being able to help them stay in their homes. “When a force for good can so easily be a force for pain and destruction, we should consider how this archaic position can best fit the needs of a changing community,” Randall said in her Feb. 13 resignation letter. Martinez-Garibay had hoped to be elected to the position during the November election. Under state law, Martinez-Garibay will be replaced in the November general election by a candidate selected by the Pima County Democratic Party, the Tucson Sentinel reported. In 2019, Martinez-Garibay was honored for her work and received a vehicle from the Recycled Ride program, KPHO-TV reported. In 2017 and 2018, Martinez-Garibay led the Tucson chapter of the PGA Hope program, KOLD-TV reported. The program sought to bring together military veterans with any disability and golf professionals. “The biggest thing I see is more than just being happy to learn the game of golf, they’re happy to have the social interaction with other veterans,” Martinez-Garibay said at the time. This is the latest incident to show the dangers of serving eviction notices. On Monday, an Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office deputy was fatally shot and a second deputy was wounded while trying to serve eviction papers on a home near Oklahoma City, officials said. Sheriff Tommy Johnson said the two deputies were delivering “lockout papers,” which is part of the eviction process, when one of the deputies went to the back door of the home and was shot. The second deputy was shot as he tried to pull the first deputy to safety, Johnson said. A suspect in an Oklahoma shooting has been taken into custody following a pursuit by law enforcement, officials said. Evictions have soared nationwide in recent months now that early pandemic protections that kept millions of families afloat have disappeared and rental assistance funds have dwindled. Courts in Pima County, which includes Tucson, have already seen 6,937 eviction petitions this year, slightly more than the 6,899 filings filed in all of 2021. Eviction petitions are also on the rise in Arizona’s Maricopa County, where Phoenix is ​​located.