MESA, Ariz. — Two brothers were arrested after one of their roommates was shot to death in Mesa, Arizona, earlier this week, officials say.
Mesa Police Department officers were called to an apartment complex near Southern Avenue and Mesa Drive on Thursday just after 6:30 a.m. for a report of a man in a bathroom with a gun, according to KTVK. Once officers arrived, they located three people who appeared to be climbing out of the windows of the apartment.
One of the three men told police that there was a man inside the apartment with a gun, according to KSAZ.
Jesus Baez-Franco, 36, told police that he was inside the bathroom in the apartment when he reportedly heard someone “rack a gun slide,” according to KSAZ. Baez-Franco told police that he shot his own gun through the bathroom door.
Baez-Franco’s brother, Oscar, told police that he was awakened by a gunshot, according to KSAZ.
Oscar said he heard his brother say, “they are coming for us,” so he shot his gun three times into the hallway through a door that was closed, according to KTVK.
Once officers got inside the apartment, they found a man with multiple gunshot wounds. He was declared deceased, according to KTVK. Jesus and Oscar told officers that they knew the man. The man had apparently been living at the apartment with the two brothers.
According to KTVK, officers also found methamphetamine in one of the rooms.
In court records obtained by KTVK, Baez-Franco reportedly told officers that his roommate who was nicknamed Catchete had been threatening him by playing songs about death. Jesus said he used meth and was paranoid that he had heard Catchete and another roommate talking outside of his bedroom. Jesus told officers that he heard Catchete playing music on his phone along with the sound of the handgun so he began to shoot.
Baez-Franco was charged with second-degree murder, possession of dangerous drugs, and reckless discharge of a weapon, according to KTVK. Oscar was arrested for the reckless discharge of a weapon.
No further information has been released including the identity of the deceased man, according to KSAZ.
