Body Found That Matches Phoenix Gunman
Gunman believed to have killed himself, after firing on three people
Jan. 31, 2013— -- Police in Phoenix, Ariz., have discovered a body that matches the description of a 70-year-old gunman, who is accused of killing one man and wounding two others in a downtown office building.
Authorities have not determined that the body, found in some bushes by a landscaper early this morning, belongs to Arthur Douglas Harmon, the suspected shooter. However, a car that Harmon rented, as well as a handgun, was found nearby.
The person found died of a self inflicted gunshot, police said at a press conference.
Harmon reportedly opened fire on two men, Steve Singer, 48, and a lawyer, Mark Hummels, 43, following a legal mediation with the men. Singer was killed and Hummels, critically wounded.
An unidentified 32-year-old woman was a also injured, police said.
"We believe the two men were the targets. It was not a random shooting," said Sgt. Tommy Thompson, a Phoenix police spokesman.
Harmon was hired by Singer to refurbished cubicles at two offices in California. Harmon sued Singer's company, when it stopped payment on a $47,000 contract after it was discovered the cubicles had not been refurbished, according to court documents first obtained by the Associated Press.
Hummels, the injured man, was Singer's lawyer. The shooting took place at the offices of a pro tempore judge who was mediating the suit.
Cops said Harmon was initially pursued by a bystander as he fled in a rented Kia Optima.
"As he left the scene, an individual witness got in his own car and actually followed Harmon in his Optima, and he drove into a neighborhood and Harmon actually got out of his car and shot at that witness," Thompson said.
Harmon began firing Wednesday around 10:30 a.m. local time. SWAT officers quickly arrived at the scene, locking down the building and setting off a manhunt.