An Arizona man, 31-year-old Brandon Alvarez, allegedly shot his stepfather dead following an internet outage.
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As reported by AZFamily, citing the Phoenix Police Department (PPD), the incident occurred on Sunday, October 12. At around 7:30 p.m., PPD officers responded to a residence near 39th and Maryland avenues after receiving a shooting report.
Upon arrival, officers found 57-year-old Jaunarius Moreno suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He succumbed to his injuries at the scene. The suspect, Alvarez, is Moreno’s stepson, and he was taken into custody.
The PPD detailed that what triggered the violent incident was an internet outage. Apparently, the internet had been disconnected by mistake while providers were installing a different service.
A woman, who noticed the outage, notified Alvarez’s girlfriend and told her to call the provider, knowing that the disconnection would anger Moreno, who was not home at the time.
Tension, Argument, Death
When he finally arrived, the 57-year-old told the aforementioned woman that he was already mad with Alvarez. As per the police, the 31-year-old had been living in Moreno’s home alongside his girlfriend and their two children for free. They had also been using his internet, which had been cut by the provider.
Grabbing his flashlight, Moreno went to the backyard with the intention of fixing the internet. He, however, encountered Alvarez, who was sitting by a woodfire.
An argument began between the two men, and at one point, according to court documents, Moreno walked toward Alvarez. As per the records, he was doing so “with nothing in his hands in an aggressive manner,” as he had dropped the flashlight.
Alvarez walked toward the residence pool, and he saw Moreno walking toward him. Police alleged that Alvarez, at that point, pulled out a gun and fired four times at Moreno, hitting him.
Alvarez told the police that he felt that his stepfather was going to attack him, court records said, explaining the shooting. After checking on his family, Brandon Alvarez called 911 and left the gun in his bedroom while he waited for the police.
He is charged with second-degree murder and is being held at the Maricopa County Jail, Law & Crime reported.