An 11-year-old fatally shot his grandmother, Yvonne Woodard, before turning the gun on himself on Saturday, November 3. According to KCRA , the boy has not yet been identified in reports.
Yvonne Woodard, 65, and her husband, Doyle Herbert, lived with their grandson in Litchfield Park. The couple had full custody of the 11-year-old boy, per Eyewitness News 3 . Herbert told the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office of the events that led to the fatal shooting costing the lives of both his wife and his grandson.
The grandfather said that they had asked the grandson to clean his room throughout the day, but he had refused to comply. He was reportedly being stubborn about it.
Woodard and Herbert then sat down on their couch in the living room and watched television. It is alleged that the grandson then came up behind his grandmother and shot her in the back of the head. The gun he used belongs to his grandfather.
Initially, Herbert ran after his grandson after he shot Woodard, but he quickly returned to help his wife. He then reported that moments later he heard gunshots as his grandson shot himself. According to ABC 15 , Herbert then went to retrieve the gun and called 911.
11-year-old Litchfield Park boy shoots, kills grandmother, then turns gun on himself. https://t.co/zMFlImGG0Q #azfamily pic.twitter.com/Hw3U7SmI41
— Spencer Blake (@spencerjblake) November 5, 2018
MCSO stated that they received a call just after 5 p.m. from Herbert. Officers were dispatched to their home on the 800 block of West Grove Street in Litchfield Park, according to MCSO spokesman Joaquin Enriquez. The authorities said they had no reason to believe that the grandson was a previous risk to himself or someone else.
“In the preliminary stages of this investigation there had been no previous signs that the grandson might harm someone or himself and there was no cause for concern prior to this event.”
The community is also trying to come to terms with the sudden and unexpected deaths in their vicinity. A neighbor, Danny Dillon, told reporters how they are coping with the tragic loss.
“We just stood outside and we prayed.
It’s just hard. You can’t get your mind around it. You just can’t.”
Dillon also said, “You have that neighborly connection but your heart just wishes that you had more and you could’ve done more, you could’ve seen something or said something.”
AZ F amily reports that other neighbors said that the family was friendly and waved when they left or came back to their home. Walter Venerable commented about the 11-year-old grandson.
“Nice family. I knew the kid. I mean, he would ride his bicycle around, play around the neighborhood.”
