A Mesa pet store altercation turned deadly has left one man dead and another behind bars. The shooting occurred on the evening of January 27 outside a pet store located at Alma School Road and 8th Avenue, where Mesa Police responded to a 911 call reporting a shooting incident involving a store employee. The victim, a 32-year-old man who was later identified as Curtis James, Jr., did not survive the injuries and died at a hospital.

According to FOX 10 Phoenix, the accused, 21-year-old Jakob Urias, was one of three employees who confronted the man for allegedly trespassing. While the two female employees went back inside to call 911, Urias admitted to have fatally shot the victim.

Investigators uncovered, during their search, a semi-auto handgun on a desk inside the pet store's employee area. Court documents revealed the victim appeared to be intoxicated and had trouble standing up when first approached by the employees. Despite this, Urias, after telling the victim that police were on their way, decided not to stay indoors but rather to confront him again outside, which ultimately led to the shooting.

The family is mourning the loss of James. "We just want justice for my little brother, because we don’t think this guy should be able to go free just like that," Curtis' sister, Shenna James, said in a statement obtained by FOX 10 Phoenix. Described by his mother, Ann Ashley, as "a kind, loving person," James' death is felt deeply by those who knew him. The family, hailing from the reservation community in Apache County, plans to lay James to rest in his homeland, carrying with them memories of his strength and caring nature.

Urias acknowledged in a post-Miranda interview that had he not been armed, "he would have done things differently," a detail noted in court documents. With a past record of arrests that were not specified in the documents, Urias now faces a charge of Second Degree Murder. His bond is set at a cash-only $500,000, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix.