Police say the argument began after the father told his son to leave the apartment.
PHOENIX, Ariz. — A 28-year-old man was arrested after police said he fatally shot his father during an argument early May 12 at a north Phoenix apartment complex, where a roommate reported hearing the dispute and two gunshots.
Joseph Gabriel Peixotto was booked on a second-degree murder count in the death of his father, 50-year-old Joseph Elmer Peixotto, according to police and court documents cited in local reports. The case centers on what happened inside an apartment at Acero North Valley, where police say the father and son were arguing after the elder Peixotto had told his son to leave.
Phoenix police officers were called just after 12:30 a.m. Tuesday to the apartment complex near Dove Valley Road and North Valley Parkway, close to Interstate 17. Officers made announcements for people inside the unit to come out, and Joseph Gabriel Peixotto exited the apartment and was taken into custody at the scene. Officers then went inside and found Joseph Elmer Peixotto unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Homicide detectives later identified the men as father and son and said the shooting followed an argument inside the apartment.
Court documents described a roommate as the key witness. The roommate told police he had recently returned from vacation and had moved back into the apartment. He said Joseph Gabriel Peixotto came to retrieve belongings that were stored in the roommate’s bedroom and said his father was kicking him out. The witness reported hearing the father and son argue. Court documents say the elder Peixotto asked, “What, you gonna shoot me?” before the roommate heard two gunshots and saw him fall. Police said the witness then called 911.
Investigators said the roommate did not report hearing a physical fight before the shooting. Law enforcement accounts also said the witness did not hear either man make threats before the gunfire. After the shooting, the roommate asked Joseph Gabriel Peixotto why he shot his father. According to court documents, the younger Peixotto said his father was going to assault him or beat him. That statement was also captured in the background of the 911 call, according to the affidavit described in reports.
Police searching the apartment found a black semi-automatic pistol in a holster on the kitchen counter, according to court documents. Investigators also found two shell casings, one near the victim’s foot and another in a bathroom. Those details became part of the early case record as detectives worked to determine where each person was standing, how many shots were fired and what happened in the seconds before the father collapsed. Police have not said publicly whether they believe the shooting was planned or whether any other person handled the gun.
The apartment complex, Acero North Valley, sits in a growing part of north Phoenix near major roads, newer housing and desert-edge neighborhoods. Police activity there began as a reported shooting call and quickly became a homicide investigation. Local outlets reported that the son was taken into custody without a prolonged standoff after officers ordered people out of the unit. The victim’s identity was released after police confirmed family ties between the two men. The shooting was one of several violent-crime calls Phoenix-area officers handled that week.
Joseph Gabriel Peixotto was interviewed by detectives but requested an attorney, according to court documents. Police then stopped questioning him. He was booked into jail on suspicion of second-degree murder and was held on a $1 million bond, according to reports citing the case paperwork. Prosecutors will determine how the case proceeds in Maricopa County court. Police have described the investigation as ongoing, and no public report reviewed Thursday listed a final court resolution, plea or trial date.
The affidavit placed the roommate near the center of the timeline. He told investigators he was getting ready to sleep in his bedroom when the younger Peixotto arrived for his belongings. The bedroom door was partly open when the argument could be heard, according to the court account. After the shots, the witness found Joseph Elmer Peixotto on the floor with wounds to his chest. The witness’s call to 911 helped officers locate the apartment and take the younger Peixotto into custody soon after they arrived.
Police have not released a fuller account of the family relationship, the length of the housing dispute or what led to the father telling his son to leave. The next public milestone in the case is expected to come through court filings or additional police updates as detectives review the evidence recovered from the apartment.