Shutterstock
Four people have been killed in Arizona by a series of shootings that Arizona police believe could be partially connected to each other. One of the murders became notable, as the victim was once connected to the JonBenet Ramsey investigation. While the first death is believed to have occurred on Thursday, police have named some of the victims as more information comes to them over the weekend.
Dr. Steven E. Pitt
Dr. Steven E. Pitt was identified as one of the victims. Working as a forensic psychiatrist, he was especially known for his work on high-profile cases like the JonBenet Ramsey investigation. He was 59 at the time of his death, which took place this past Thursday. According to The New York Times, Sgt. Vincent Lewis, a spokesman for the Phoenix Police Department, said that witnesses heard “a loud verbal argument and they heard shots” at the time of the incident. He is believed to be survived by two adult sons and a fiancée.
Veleria Sharp
Veleria Sharp was identified as one of the victims. She was believed to have been 48 at the time of the incident and worked as a paralegal at the law firm of Burt Feldman Grenier in Scottsdale. Officials identified her by name on Saturday following the Friday shooting.
Laura Anderson
Laura Anderson was identified as one of the victims. She was believed to have been 49 at the time of the incident and worked as a paralegal at the law firm of Burt Feldman Grenier in Scottsdale. Officials identified her by name on Saturday following the Friday shooting.
Marshall Levine
According to AZ Central, the fourth victim was identified as Marshall Levine, who worked as a counselor. At this time, it is unclear if his death was related to the previous three shootings.
What do we know about the shootings so far?
According to The New York Times, officials confirmed that there was an outstanding suspect, though a name has not been released to the public. At this time, officials believe that the suspect knew Pitt:
“The verbal argument suggests they might have known each other.”
“Whether they knew each other personally or professionally, we’re looking into that.”
According to NBC News, a fourth victim had been identified in the homicides, who, as mentioned above, was later identified as Marshall Levine; at this time, officials have said that they currently believe that the first three homicides are connected, but did not disclose connections between the victims. At this time, it is unknown if the fourth victim’s death was connected to the homicides.
As this story is developing, more information will be updated as made available.
