Everett, Wash.
Published: Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Case reports reveal more details on Arivaca shootings

Herald Staff

 The name of border-watch activist Shawna Forde of Everett apparently first surfaced in an Arizona double-murder investigation when her co-defendant told detectives she'd been staying at his home, according to police reports released Wednesday.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department today released roughly 200 pages of case reports to The Green Valley News and Sun.

Within hours of the May 30 killings of Raul Flores, 29, and his daughter, Brisenia, 9, detectives were questioning an Arivaca, Ariz. man about what he may know.

Albert Robert Gaxiola said he didn't know anything about the deadly home-invasion robbery and he was in Tucson at the time, the police reports said.

"Upon being questioned about other individuals that were present at his house, he stated that a group of people whom he identified as "Minute men" had been staying there," the report said. "He stated that he had a relationship with the leader whom he identified as Shawna Forde."

Gaxioloa reportedly told detectives that the military-style clothing and gear, plus a van that was at his home all were associated with Forde.

Detectives took items from his home under a search warrant. They also seized Gaxiola's cellphone.

"I opened the cell phone and questioned him about contacts whom he had listed in the phone; one of which was identified as 'White,'" the report said. Gaxiola "stated that White was the nickname of Shawna Forde. I then asked him why that was her nickname. He stated that she hates all ethnicity with the exception of Caucasians."

The police reports do not document much of what happened with the investigation between June 1 and June 12, when Forde and Gaxiola were arrested.

One of the documents talks about Forde's demeanor while being fingerprinted. She reportedly refused to sign the fingerprint card.

When she was searched, a white piece of paper was found in one of her pants pockets. It appeared to contain GPS coordinates, the documents said.

Forde reportedly said that the paper contained information regarding a drug cartel in Mexico.

Much of the papers released today document the investigation in and around Arivaca, including the scene that greeted the first officers at the Flores' home. Inside the home they found the bodies of Flores and his daughter. Both were obviously dead, the officers wrote.

In a kitchen they heard the slain girl's mother calling for help. She was bleeding and told them she'd been shot in the hip. A handgun she'd used to drive out the intruders lay nearby, the reports said.

A Pima County grand jury returned indictments late Monday against Forde, 41, Jason Bush, 34, of Meadview, Ariz., and of Gaxioloa, 42, of Arivaca.

Each is charged in killing Brisenia Flores and her father Raul Flores and wounding her mother.

Pima County Deputy Attorney Rick Unklesbay said Tuesday each defendant is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault and one count of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree burglary, armed robbery and aggravated robbery.

They are scheduled to be arraigned Monday.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA