A domestic argument in north Phoenix ended in a fatal shooting in the early hours of May 12, 2026. Joseph Elmer Peixotto, 50, was found inside a Dove Valley Road-area apartment with at least one gunshot wound to the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene after Phoenix Fire Department medics tried to revive him.

Police say the shooting followed a dispute with the victim’s 28-year-old son, Joseph Gabriel Peixotto, who was detained outside the unit as officers arrived just after 12:30 a.m. A roommate told investigators they heard the two arguing, then heard the son retrieve a gun.

Joseph Gabriel Peixotto was arrested after an interview with detectives and booked on a second-degree murder charge. The investigation is in its early stages and the account available so far centers on a family dispute over eviction that escalated to violence.

Does anyone have information about the apartment complex or witnessed the events that night?