A neighbor remembered friendly interactions near the home as police investigated the deaths of a man and woman Saturday.
PHOENIX — Residents of a north Phoenix neighborhood were confronting an unexpected police investigation Sunday after a 74-year-old man and an 81-year-old woman were found shot to death inside a nearby home.
Phoenix police said officers responded to the residence near 35th Avenue and Deer Valley Road shortly after 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12. The call had been reported as a suicide. Officers found both people dead from gunshot wounds, and homicide investigators were brought in to examine the scene.
Authorities said the deaths appeared to be a murder-suicide and that investigators did not believe there were any outstanding suspects. Police had not released the identities of the man and woman by Sunday morning, and officials had not publicly explained their relationship or disclosed a possible motive.
As detectives worked inside the residential area, neighbors described the two people as generally quiet and friendly. Fadea Hassan, who lives nearby, told Arizona’s Family that she had collected their mail on several occasions and often saw the man sitting outside the home.
“He seemed very kind; he’s always saying hi to everyone and smiling,” Hassan said. Her account offered one of the few public descriptions of the people at the center of the investigation as authorities withheld their names and other personal details.
Hassan said the deaths also changed the way she viewed the familiar neighborhood around her. “These things that you hear about in the news, it’s really not that far from you,” she said, describing the realization that the investigation was unfolding close to her home.
Police had released only limited information about what happened before officers arrived. Investigators had not publicly identified who they believe fired the shots, described evidence found inside the residence or provided a detailed timeline beyond the initial response shortly after 4:30 p.m.
The preliminary finding that no suspects were outstanding indicated police did not believe someone involved had fled the scene. Arizona’s Family reported that officials also said there was no threat to the community. The investigation, however, remained active as detectives worked to establish the circumstances of the deaths.
The names of the man and woman and additional findings from the investigation had not been released as of Sunday. Phoenix police continued to investigate the deaths as an apparent murder-suicide.
Author note: Last updated September 13, 2026.