Francis William Varney, 77, of Azusa, California, was shot and killed on November 8, 2016, after stepping outside his home to investigate gunfire in his neighborhood. The shooting began about 2:25 p.m. when a next-door neighbor, Carlos Francisco Mendez, allegedly emerged armed with an automatic rifle and began firing at people and passing vehicles. Varney was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:40 p.m.; two women, ages 65 and 59, were critically injured and airlifted to a hospital.

Mendez reportedly fired at least 20 rounds at responding officers, who returned fire. Investigators found he had a history of drug use, owned multiple firearms, and had been bingeing on cocaine that afternoon; his family had left the house the night before because of his erratic behavior. Neighbors described Varney as a quiet widower who had lived in the area nearly 50 years and took morning walks with his Chihuahua.