Avondale man accused of murdering brother-in-law over dog barking

AVONDALE, AZ (AZFamily) — An Avondale man is accused of shooting and killing his brother-in-law after the two argued over a barking dog.

The suspect, Sorocco Tena, 26, was arrested for the death of Luis Cosme Jimenez-Hunter last month.

On Nov. 25, around 8 p.m., Avondale police were called to a home near Broadway and El Mirage roads after a neighbor reported hearing a gunshot.

Then a woman called 911 and said her husband, Jimenez-Hunter, had been shot. The woman told authorities that CPR could not be performed because “there was too much blood,” according to court documents.

Officers arrived and found Jimenez-Hunter shot to death in the yard.

At the home, officers arrested Tena outside the home after he made “unprompted” comments about shooting Jimenez-Hunter and putting the gun in a closet, a the police said.

Investigators spoke to Jimenez-Hunter’s wife and court documents say she told police their family had just returned home after taking their children to see Santa. When they arrived, they heard Tena’s dog barking.

The suspect, Sorocco Tena, 26, was arrested for the death of Luis Cosme Jimenez-Hunter.(Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)

Jimenez-Hunter allegedly got upset and went out to get the dog, which is when he started arguing with Tena.

Jimenez-Hunter’s wife then told police she “heard a noise” and saw Tena standing over her husband, police said.

Court documents say she saw a lot of blood at the spot where Jimenez-Hunter was shot and saw Tena enter the house with a gun.

Authorities spoke with the neighbor who called 911, who said he heard the two men arguing while he was in his garage.

The neighbor reportedly said he heard a gunshot and saw a man dressed in black clothing enter the house from the yard.

Court documents say he then heard a woman screaming about “someone shooting someone.”

Another neighbor gave his surveillance video footage to police.

In the video, dogs can be heard barking “continuously and excessively” before an argument breaks out, according to court documents.

Video captures the sound of a gunshot, followed by screams. Meanwhile, police say someone can be heard crying and saying, “Why did you do that?”

During an interview with police, Tena told investigators there had been “tension in the house over the past few days,” according to court documents.

He reportedly said he got into an argument over Jimenez-Hunter getting rid of his dog.

He claimed Jimenez-Hunter raised both hands as “he tried to hit him,” police said. That’s when he pulled out his gun and shot her, according to court documents.

Detectives found a gun in a closet while searching the home.

Tena was charged with one count of second-degree murder, one count of disorderly conduct and one count of discharging a firearm within city limits.

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