Police arrested a man for shooting and killing a landscaper hired to trim a tree at his rental property, according to court records.
The Gilbert Police Department said 51-year-old Manuel Vega Lopez was killed May 19 after a verbal argument escalated into a deadly shooting.
Wyatt Bruce Ford, 28, was accused of shooting Vega Lopez four times during the fight and killing him, court documents said.
Police arrested Ford in connection with second-degree murder.
Court documents showed that days before the shooting, Ford noticed his trailer had been vandalized and stolen from and mistakenly believed Vega Lopez was connected to the incident.
Here’s what we know about the deadly shooting in Gilbert.
Police arrive after reports of argument, shots fired
At about 4:30 p.m. May 19, Gilbert officers responded to calls of an argument between two men outside a residence in a neighborhood near Higley and Germann roads, according to Gilbert police.
A woman, later identified as Ford’s wife, called police and said her husband was fighting with a man and explained she had noticed Vega Lopez’s vehicle outside of the property a few days before, court documents said.
Other witnesses called for help after hearing multiple shots fired, according to court documents. During one of these calls, Ford’s wife could be heard saying her husband “just shot him,” court documents said. Another person said Ford yelled for someone to call 911 and heard him say, “I didn’t mean to do it,” court documents detailed.
Another witness called and reported Vega Lopez was lying on the ground “shot in the throat.” Upon arrival, police said they found Vega Lopez suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Surrounded by a pool of blood as he lay unconscious on the ground, Vega Lopez received lifesaving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, court documents said.
Ford was quickly identified and taken into custody, police said.
Officers found four spent pistol cartridges and a 9 mm pistol that Ford used in the shooting, according to court documents.
Vega Lopez was found to have no weapon on him, but near his body there was a pole saw used for trimming trees, and his nearby truck was filled with landscaping tools, court documents said.
A paranoia-fueled fight turns fatal
Ford’s wife said the couple was planning to move out of state and had recently bought a trailer that they believed had been vandalized and stolen from, court documents stated. She said their neighbor reported seeing a man outside their home at night and noted his vehicle.
This man turned out to be Vega Lopez, who was sent by the landlord of the property to take a look at the trees, according to court documents. The landlord had hired Vega Lopez as a contractor to trim the trees in the yard, after a notice to do so came from the town of Gilbert, court documents said.
The landlord first drove by the property and sent a photo of the tree to Vega Lopez, who visited the property at night and confirmed he would accept the job, sending a photo of the tree back to the landlord, court documents said.
A neighbor told police they witnessed Vega Lopez’s vehicle at the property the same night of the photo exchange, and that Vega Lopez drove away when the neighbor tried to approach him.
Couple was made aware Vega Lopez was arriving
The day of the shooting, Vega Lopez returned to trim the trees and was spotted by Ford and his wife, both driving separate vehicles as they were returning to the home with their children, court documents said. Ford told his wife to stay away as he went alone to confront the driver, later identified as Vega Lopez, according to court documents.
Ford’s wife said he carried a concealed gun “whenever he leaves the house,” court documents said.
Investigators confirmed that the landlord had sent a message to a group chat between Ford and his wife to let them know about the trees being trimmed May 19, court documents said.
Court documents said that Ford replied to this message.
What happens now?
Gilbert police said Ford was booked into a Maricopa County jail on a second-degree murder charge in connection with the shooting.
Police believed that the shooting was an isolated incident and said there was no threat to the community.
Ford was held on a $1 million bond and was next scheduled to appear in court May 27.
A Gilbert police investigation into the shooting remained ongoing.
Reach reporter Rey Covarrubias Jr. at [email protected]. Follow him on X, Threads and Bluesky @ReyCJrAZ.
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(This story has been updated to add more information.)
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Gilbert man accused of killing landscaper he suspected of vandalism
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