Firefighters Find Bodies & Gun In Burning Home

"PHOENIX, AZ — A deadly house fire Tuesday morning is believed to be a murder-suicide, according to Phoenix police.

"The bodies of an elderly couple were found inside a home at 17842 N. 41st Dr., between Bell Road and Union Hills Drive, just before 8:30 a.m.

"When firefighters arrived, they found smoke billowing from the roof.

"The fire appeared to have started in six different areas of the home, firefighters said.

"`They (firefighters) met up with several small fires within the house, all within different points of origin,` Phoenix Police Sgt. Trent Crump said. `Clearly deliberate fires (were) set. On top of that, there were also some accelerant found inside the home.`

"The bodies of a man and woman were initially detected inside a back bedroom by thermal imaging cameras. They were both shot dead with the weapon lying on the bed between them.

"`They were good neighbors,` Sharon Smith said.

"Smith lives across the street and smelled the smoke from her backyard.

"`I cried. I was in shock, I mean, what do you do? It's a horrible thing to hear. It's just devastating to hear that kind of stuff. How does anyone feel - you wish you were there. I saw the smoke and that was my first reaction: Where are they?`

"The names of the victims have not been released, but friends of the couple who lives in the home said they had recently fallen on hard times.

"`There's always an answer for something. Doing this is not an answer. It leaves their family members devastated and they're left with wondering why,` Smith said.

"At this point, officers believe it was a murder-suicide, but who shot who is still under investigation."

From kpho.com...