On the morning of July 7, 2025, a routine workday in Mesa turned deadly for 40-year-old construction superintendent Blake Hulbert. Just after 11:30 a.m. in the Home Depot parking lot near Rio Salado Parkway and Dobson Road, an altercation escalated and Hulbert was shot multiple times. He was found near his Ford F-150 with three gunshot wounds and died after being taken to a nearby hospital. No weapons were recovered from Hulbert’s truck.

Police say 27-year-old Mario Montes remained at the scene and called 911, telling the operator he had shot a man he did not know after feeling blocked in; a 9mm handgun and three spent shell casings were recovered from Montes’ vehicle. Montes was arrested and booked on a charge of second-degree murder and reportedly declined to speak with officers. Investigators are reviewing surveillance footage and a cellphone video from a nearby Walmart employee that captured the aftermath as Hulbert tried to rise before collapsing.

Hulbert is remembered as a loving husband and father of two young daughters and for helping others in recovery. The family and community remain in mourning. If anyone witnessed the confrontation in the Home Depot parking lot or has relevant footage, please come forward with information.