A man was found shot to death in the backyard of a Phoenix home after a dispute escalated into violence, police say. The incident occurred on the evening of Oct. 12, near 39th and Maryland Avenues. Brandon Alvarez, 31, is suspected of shooting his 57-year-old stepfather, Jaunarius Moreno, multiple times, resulting in Moreno's death at the scene. According to FOX 10 Phoenix, Alvarez called 911 to report the shooting himself.
While there was a verbal altercation reported, the occurrence spiraled out of what began as a mundane technical issue – the house's internet connection going down. As told by AZFamily, the situation started when a new internet service was mistakenly installed at the residence, which led to Moreno getting upset upon discovering the internet was not working. Considering Moreno and Alvarez’s argument reportedly ended with Alvarez pulling a firearm and shooting Moreno, as per the preliminary information provided by Sgt. Phil Krynsky to FOX 10 Phoenix.
The details leading to the shooting illuminate a household tension over living arrangements, with the deceased expressing frustrations that Alvarez, Alvarez's girlfriend, and their two children lived in the home without contributing financially. Court documents reveal a narrative where Moreno, after attempting to fix the failed internet connection with a flashlight in the backyard, confronted Alvarez who was seated by a woodfire. As Moreno approached Alvarez "with nothing in his hands in an aggressive manner," court records state, Alvarez fired the fatal shots, citing fear of attack or disarmament.
Following the tragic event, Alvarez, after ensuring the safety of his children and family, placed the gun in the bedroom and awaited the arrival of authorities. He has been booked on one count of second-degree murder, the Phoenix Police communicated. As the investigation is still active, detectives are processing the evidence to piece together the full sequence of events of that fateful evening, which unfolded against the backdrop of a family's daily life suddenly pierced by the disruption of technology and an ultimately lethal altercation.
