Barking dogs may have sparked Ariz. family slaying

[flowers]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_PHOENIX_FIVE_DEAD?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-10-29-00-09-37

PHOENIX (AP) -- Michael Guzzo was becoming increasingly unhinged.

For months, he complained about incessant dog barking coming from homes all around him. He even put up fliers on doors throughout his Phoenix townhome complex advising people of pet ordinances and fines.

This weekend, police say, the 56-year-old went on a rampage, methodically killing four members of a family who lived next door, along with their two dogs. He then walked across a courtyard and tried to kill more neighbors with dogs before he returned home and killed himself.

One of the victims, Renee Moore, "told me all the time the man was crazy," said her mother-in-law, Jacque Alderman, 70. "He just couldn't stand the dogs."

Also killed in the Saturday shooting were Moore's father, Bruce Moore, 66; her husband, Michael Moore, 42, who used his wife's last name; and her son, Shannon Moore, 17.

While Guzzo's motive died with him, neighbors and family members of the victims pointed to his growing annoyance with noise from neighborhood dogs.

"He hated them. But everyone here has dogs," said Joni Flood, 27, who lives a few doors down from the victims.

Libni Deleon, 26, said he returned home from work just a few months ago to find Guzzo standing by his back gate, where Deleon's two dogs were on the patio barking.

"He said, `Your dogs are barking. I'm here to live in peace,'" Deleon recalled.

Moments after Saturday's killings, Guzzo went back to Deleon's home and began kicking on the front door.

Deleon's wife, Vanessa, had just gotten out of the shower. She grabbed their two children and ran upstairs to hide in the bathtub.

Libni Deleon went toward the door as Guzzo blasted two holes through it, sending about 20 shotgun pellets into the walls at the back of their home.

He ran upstairs to get his gun, opened the window and began to yell at Guzzo, who opened fire again before walking back to his own home to kill himself.

"I feel pretty darn lucky," Libni Deleon said.

The victims' family members, meanwhile, are struggling to come to grips with their loss, dumbfounded by the sheer senselessness of the killings.

Standing amid pools of drying blood on the home's back patio where the two men were apparently shot first, Michael Moore's brother called the killings "angering beyond belief."

"It just angers me looking at all this because I just feel for my brother," said Patrick Riley, 41. "The helplessness."

The patio wall was chipped with pockmarks from the shotgun's blast. Police haven't given specific details of the attack, but Riley said he thinks Guzzo shot his brother over a 6-foot cinderblock fence while he worked on an engine.

"He had no idea what was coming," Riley said. Bruce Moore was killed a few feet away near the patio door to the home.

Riley said police told him Guzzo killed the two men first, then walked through the family's unlocked front door and shot Renee, her son, Shannon, and the dogs.

The killer was no stranger to the family, even though they had little contact with him, Alderman said. Renee Moore had told her repeatedly that Guzzo hated the dogs.

Alderman sobbed Monday as she stood outside the home while other family members gathered on the porch where the two men, including her son, were shot.

"I don't want to see the blood," she said with a heavy sigh.

Phoenix Sgt. Steve Martos said authorities can only speculate on a motive for the killings.

"If he had left a note, maybe," Martos said, "but nothing like that occurred in this case."

[happyg]

Something else had to be going on in that guy's head, like a few dozens voices! There are a lot of dogs in my neighborhood, but don't bother me. One neighbor is always calling the cops about barking dogs, but his dog, a Yorkie barks the most. He says his dog is not as loud as the other dogs. LIBERALS!!!

[EC]

Damn - talk about an over-reaction. Still:

Poor sod. I am not fond of barking dogs. Make me jump every single time and really grates on the nerves after a bit.

[aligncare]

I'm not trying to defend that nutcase here. But, I've run across a lot of rude dog owners.

These owners think that since they love their dog neighbors must love the sound of their dog barking—all day long. I run in the park where they leave slippery little packages for me to step on even though they know they're supposed to clean up after their dogs. And despite the dozens of signs posting leash laws, some allow their unleashed dogs to run up to me—as if I'm supposed to know their dog is friendly.

During cat adoption events at Petco, stupid dog owners will stick their yapping Yorkey right up to the cat crates scaring heck out of the kitties. What are these morons thinking? Yeah I have a few things to say about dogs and their rude owners.

[EC]

During cat adoption events at Petco, stupid dog owners will stick their yapping Yorkey right up to the cat crates scaring heck out of the kitties. What are these morons thinking? Yeah I have a few things to say about dogs and their rude owners.

Wait, WHAT!!!!! FFS. I am not exactly a dog fan - prefer working dogs that do their job more than pets - but that is plain stupid.

[Rapunzel]

All the local news stations interviewed the guys ex wife last night and she said she always knew he would likely kill himself, she didn't think he would take other people with him.  The guy was a lot of bricks short of a full load upstairs - supposedly was an abused child himself and really not able to cope with society.

[flowers]

Even for me living in the middle of nowhere has a neighbor whose dog used to bark all day at chipmonks. Now it is a bit tamer. Yet the owner (who is a ass) has blamed my dog for its dog barking.  This barking by both dogs occurs usually when I am ridding my 4 wheeler past their place. His dog comes running out and of course my dog barks too.  Now my other good neighbor told my the ass neighbor blames my dog. So now every time we hear that dog bark we tell my dog to knock it off....LOL most times my pooch is minding his own dogbusiness fast asleep in the house!

[EC]

All the local news stations interviewed the guys ex wife last night and she said she always knew he would likely kill himself, she didn't think he would take other people with him.  The guy was a lot of bricks short of a full load upstairs - supposedly was an abused child himself and really not able to cope with society.

Color me as unsurprised as possible.

There are times - rare times - when people are simply evil. Yet much of the time, they are simply screwed up.

[aligncare]

Wait, WHAT!!!!! FFS. I am not exactly a dog fan - prefer working dogs that do their job more than pets - but that is plain stupid.

One woman was so intent on introducing her dog to these cats that even after I told her to please step away from the crates with her dog, she continued to allow her dog to bark at the cats. Just plain rude.

[aligncare]

I'm wondering... At that moment, if I were carrying...

[Rapunzel]

My dogs are really good until my neighbors across the street show up for the winter.  Unfortunately they give my dogs treats (wish they had never started this) so every time my dogs see their garage door up they bark thinking it will bring them across the street with treets.  So now before I let my dogs out I look to see if they have their garage door up or if it is down.  There is a solution for dogs that bark a lot - a bark collar.  Not one of the shock collars, but the one that every time the dog barks it puts out a spray of Citronella. Dogs don't like the smell of Citronella and they quickly learn it only happens when they bark. IT is almost funny to watch them suddenly woof really low hoping the smell won't go off... soon you only have to show them the collar and they stop barking. It's humane and it really works.

[flowers]

My dogs are really good until my neighbors across the street show up for the winter.  Unfortunately they give my dogs treats (wish they had never started this) so every time my dogs see their garage door up they bark thinking it will bring them across the street with treets.  So now before I let my dogs out I look to see if they have their garage door up or if it is down.  There is a solution for dogs that bark a lot - a bark collar.  Not one of the shock collars, but the one that every time the dog barks it puts out a spray of Citronella. Dogs don't like the smell of Citronella and they quickly learn it only happens when they bark. IT is almost funny to watch them suddenly woof really low hoping the smell won't go off... soon you only have to show them the collar and they stop barking. It's humane and it really works.

I had a collar from our previous dog. She used to bark at only people she knew. I put that collar on her and she immediately ran into a bedroom layed down on the bed and gave us the evil eye. She must have had a collar on at some point from a previous owner. I never put it back on her. When we got this dog he used to bark all the time ....the collar helped.