A neighbor dispute in Tolleson, Arizona, turned deadly on Monday afternoon, November 27, 2017. Steven Arvallo, 45, an investigator for the Arizona Department of Corrections, was shot and killed outside his home near 99th Avenue and Broadway Road after a verbal altercation with his neighbor, 36-year-old Sladjan Petkovic, who the Phoenix Police Department identified as the suspect.

Petkovic fled and was found the next morning at a rest area west of Tonopah, where a prolonged shootout with law enforcement — including an Arizona Department of Public Safety trooper — followed. After an exchange of about 300 rounds, Petkovic was taken into custody armed with two handguns and an automatic rifle; he suffered life-threatening injuries and was hospitalized. A grand jury later indicted him on charges including first-degree murder.

Arvallo had worked for the Department of Corrections since 1995, retiring after roughly twenty years and returning about a year and a half before his death as a background investigator. He is survived by his wife and two children. If anyone knew Arvallo or witnessed the events that day, please come forward with information.