March 29, 2023 — After deciding to adopt a second dog, so my dog, Billy, could have a friend, I took a day off work so the dogs could get acclimated.
Around noon, I was sitting in the backyard eating lunch when I saw a policeman in the back alley. Suddenly a man jumped over the block wall, coming from my neighbor’s yard. I heard yelling as he ran across my backyard, and immediately the yard was full of police. (Later, I learned they’d been pursuing him after a robbery at a local hardware store, followed by subsequent calls from several neighbors reporting a man in their backyard.)
Within seconds, the man started to enter a side shed, then ran in the back door of my home and closed the back door and the security door. Billy was inside and I could hear his continuous, loud barking. I was directed out into the ally for safety. Police came from every direction and surrounded the house.
Sooner than I’d imagined, the man, who had grabbed a knife in the kitchen and was injuring himself, came out the back door. The police, who seemed to know the man and called him by name, yelled to drop the knife and seemed to try and de-escalate the situation. The man yelled “I have to kill myself,” and when he advanced, the police deployed the taser and then fatally shot him on the back patio.
In all the chaos, I was unable to get the new dog to come to me, so she ran off, in spite of an officer’s help and the efforts of my neighbors. She was safely returned to Az Animal Welfare League, and Billy and I went and completed her adoption a few days later.
I went down the alley and came around to the front of my house, now cordoned off with red crime scene tape, within a larger area marked with yellow tape. The street was filled with so many police vehicles, a command center, shade tent, forensics van, etc.. I must have missed the news helicopter overhead, and soon reporters were calling my cell phone.
I was thankful to all my neighbors who let me sit with them and drink water that afternoon. Though it was March, it was starting to get hot. Eventually I was able to get Billy out of the house, and he was safe. Around 6:30 pm I was able to go inside and assess the damage, working with the biohazard team that was starting cleanup. Billy and I stayed at a hotel for a few nights until another remediation team came for a more comprehensive cleanup.
It took a few months to put the house back in order—replacing everything in the kitchen, living room and my art room. Eventually I painted the entire area, even doing the ceilings which made a big difference.
I was so grateful for the quick police response and all the kindness of my neighbors, realizing the scenario could have been so much worse, in so many ways. I finally was back in the studio around end of June, and able to get back into creative projects. I think for awhile, there was a bit too much chaos in the rest of my world to tackle the creative chaos of art. Billy seems to be getting along well with his new friend Coda.
Links:
Joan Waters Blog 