Arizona man kills five people before taking own life

YUMA, Ariz. -- A 73-year-old man shot and killed the lawyer who represented his ex-wife in their divorce and four others in multiple locations in a rampage that rattled an Arizona border town.

He also wounded one person before being found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound roughly six hours after the first shots were fired in Yuma, a city of about 200,000. The lawyer was killed while packing up his office on his last day of work.

Yuma police identified the suspected shooter as Carey Hal Dyess of Yuma.

The timeline of events wasn't immediately clear, but police said they responded to the first call about 9:30 a.m.

Victim Jerrold Shelley was a prominent attorney who represented Dyess' ex-wife in their divorce. He was found dead in his downtown law office, Yuma police chief Jerry Geier said.

Shelley was one of the lawyers representing seven young men -- three sets of brothers -- who sued the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson after accusing a priest of repeatedly raping them when they were children.

Authorities say Dyess killed four other people elsewhere in Yuma County. An adult man and woman were found dead inside a small farm house outside the town of Wellton, said Yuma police Sgt. John Otero, who was helping the sheriff's office process the scene. The tree-shaded home was set back about 100 feet from a highway, with a cow pasture out front.

The suspect was found dead in another location near Wellton, about 25 miles east of Yuma.

It's unclear who the other victims were or where they were killed. The wounded person was flown to a Phoenix-area hospital.

The downtown-area shooting forced officials to block off a city street and lock down the nearby Yuma County Courthouse and some schools. No one was injured at the courthouse or schools, and the buildings were later reopened.

Court records show Dyess was involved in two civil court cases, one in Yuma and one in nearby Wellton.

A judge issued an order of protection against Dyess in one of the cases in 2006, and a court clerk said it stemmed from Dyess' wife divorcing him.

No further information was immediately available on the cases.

Mayor Al Krieger called the shootings a tragedy for the victims and their families, and for residents of Yuma.

"It's one of those things where someone went and did something very, very foolish," Krieger said. "I'm sorry for the loss of life."

Yuma County Presiding Judge Andrew Gold issued a statement through the Arizona Supreme Court saying officials were "thankful that those within the courthouse are safe," but shocked and saddened at the violent acts that occurred in the close-knit community.

Yuma attorney Amanda Taylor was friends with Shelley and described him as a good man who was dedicated to his Mormon beliefs. She said Shelley was wrapping up a long career practicing law.

"He was retiring. He literally was packing up his office today," Taylor said. "He was an excellent family man. Well-respected in this community. Very kind. I'm just sick. I've lost such a good friend."

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Associated Press writers Mark Carlson and Amanda Lee Myers in Phoenix contributed to this report.