by Matthew Holloway | Mar 8, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Mesa police are investigating the fatal shooting of a Mesa mother of seven after identifying an investigator with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office as being involved in the incident.
Authorities say 32-year-old Maria Ernestina Lewis was found with a gunshot wound early on Feb. 28 near Ray Road and Inspirian Parkway in Mesa after officers responded to a welfare check call. Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Mesa Police Department later identified 47-year-old DuLance Morin, an investigator with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, as being “involved in the shooting,” though authorities have not publicly detailed the exact circumstances of the incident. Police have not confirmed who fired the weapon, as reported by FOX10 Phoenix.
According to investigators, officers were dispatched to the neighborhood after receiving a welfare check call around 2 a.m. When officers arrived, they located Lewis with a gunshot wound outside a residence. She was found on the doorstep of a neighbor’s home, according to local reporting.
“I can confirm DuLance Morin has been employed by the Attorney General’s Office since February 2016,” a spokesman from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office said in a statement on Monday. “He was placed on administrative leave this weekend pending the Mesa Police Department’s investigation.”
Authorities have not announced any arrests or criminal charges in connection with the case, and the investigation remains active. “The Mesa Police Department emphasizes that this remains an active and ongoing investigation,” the department said in a statement to 12 News.
The department added, “Detectives are working to obtain additional evidence through search warrants, reviewing potential surveillance footage from the surrounding area, and awaiting the results of forensic testing and analysis.”
Investigators have not publicly described any relationship between Lewis and Morin or how the two individuals came into contact before the incident. Mesa Police have also not released information about whether a weapon was recovered at the scene or whether any other individuals were involved.
Officials say additional information will be released once the investigation progresses. However, authorities have not announced whether an outside agency will participate in the investigation as of this report.
As of the latest update from Mesa police, the case remains under active investigation, and authorities have not provided a timeline for additional information.
Lewis is survived by her husband and seven children. According to FOX10 Phoenix, Lewis’ family has called for prosecutors to pursue a murder charge. The outlet also reported that relatives said blood-stained tiles were removed from the scene hours after the shooting.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the Mesa Police Department.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 3, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
The Arizona Legislature’s two Second Amendment hawks achieved a major victory for their constituents’ freedoms.
Earlier this month, the Sedona City Council announced plans to reconstruct a local ordinance that had caught the ire of two Republican state legislators this fall, Representatives Quang Nguyen and Selina Bliss. The news came after the lawmakers had taken their dispute to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office over the City of Sedona’s Ordinance 12.30.090, which prohibits individuals from carrying firearms on “any trail or open space area.”
Nguyen had previously written, “The City of Sedona has had ample time to address these concerns and has chosen not to act. We are left with no choice but to seek the Attorney General’s involvement to ensure the rule of law is followed.”
The letter to Mayes followed Representative Nguyen’s prior communication to Sedona Mayor Scott Jablow and city councilmembers over the ordinance. Nguyen had highlighted that the Ordinance’s prohibition “on carrying firearms is not consistent with Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-3108,” thus making it “invalid and unenforceable because it exceeds what state law authorizes. He pointed out that “cities may…enact ordinances ‘[l]imiting or prohibiting the discharge of firearms in parks and preserves’ when certain statutory conditions are met.”
In a comment to another local publication, a City of Sedona spokeswoman said, “In the new ordinance, a person will be able to carry the firearm in the park but can’t discharge it unless in self-defense.” This ordinance is expected to be updated on December 10, at the next city council meeting.
Bliss responded to the announcement from the municipality, saying, “A message to cities and towns…don’t violate the rights of the people!”
Nguyen and Bliss, two seatmates in a Yavapai County legislative district, have quickly proven themselves to be some of the top Second Amendment advocates in the state. Over the past two years, both lawmakers have won the “Legislator of the Year” award from the Arizona Citizens Defense League for their protection of Second Amendment rights. They will look to continue their defense of Arizonans’ constitutional rights to keep and bear arms in the upcoming legislative session in yet another divided state government.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Mar 14, 2024 | Economy, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
The Arizona Legislature continues to work on solutions to crack down on organized retail theft across the state.
Last week, the Arizona Senate overwhelmingly passed SB 1411 with a 22-4 vote (with four members not voting). The bill would “require the Attorney General to establish the Organized Retail Theft Task Force to combat crimes that relate to stealing, embezzling or obtaining retail merchandise by fraud, false pretenses or other illegal means for the purposes of reselling the items” – according to the purpose from the chamber.
After the vote, Senator David Gowan, the bill’s sponsor, issued the following statement: “California has been forced to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to fight an enormous rise in organized retail crime because of their liberal policies that oppose holding people accountable for breaking the law. Businesses have been forced to shut down and pull out of the state. We don’t want to turn into California, but unfortunately Arizona is also experiencing a rise in these crimes. We need to get ahead of the issue to prevent going down the same path, which is why I sponsored SB 1411 to establish a task force to combat crimes that relate to stealing, embezzling, or obtaining retail merchandise by fraud, false pretenses, or other illegal means for the purposes of reselling the items.”
Gowan added, “The task force will be comprised of federal, state, and local law enforcement, in order to use their combined skills, expertise, and resources more effectively. This bill passed out of the Senate with strong bipartisan support. We all want to protect our businesses and keep our communities safe from theft.”
Last month, the bill passed the Senate Committee on Military Affairs, Public Safety and Border Security with a 7-0 tally.
Senator Janae Shamp and Representative Justin Wilmeth joined as co-sponsors for the legislation.
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, representatives from the Arizona Retailers Association, Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Arizona Food Marketing Alliance, Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, and CVS Health signed in in support of the proposal.
SB 1411 now heads to the Arizona House of Representatives for consideration.
The efforts to shut down organized retail theft crimes continue the state’s already strong reputation on this front. Arizona already has another Organized Retail Crime Task Force, which commenced under former Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s administration and is also housed in the State Attorney General’s Office.
In December 2021, Brnovich wrote an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal, warning would-be criminals of his office’s efforts to investigate and prosecute these offenses – especially in the wake of the lawlessness in Arizona’s neighboring state to the west. He wrote, “As Arizona’s attorney general, I have refused to capitulate to the lawless mob…We expect our efforts will deter such theft and hope our task force becomes a model for California and other states.”
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell also has a strong presence against organized retail theft. In 2023, her office announced that it had made 354 bookings over these crimes, which was the most in the county since 2020. Additionally, in November 2023, Mitchell started a ‘Safe Shopping’ Campaign “to stop this fast-growing category of lawlessness.” Mitchell said, “Here’s what I say to the thieves who commit these crimes: we will find you, you will be arrested, and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jul 12, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Another Arizona state official is experiencing a high-profile staff departure just over six months after taking office.
On Monday, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced the resignation of her Chief of Staff, Amy Love, informing Arizonans that Love would soon be leaving her team.
In a statement, Mayes said, “Amy Love is an exceptional public servant, and I thank her for her service to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. I wish her all the best in her future endeavors.”
The news about Love’s exit highlighted that her final day at the Attorney General’s Office would be August 7, 2023.
Mayes did not immediately indicate what her next move would be for filling the soon-to-be vacant position at the top of her team. Under former Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s administration, the Chief of Staff and Chief Deputy positions were jointly housed under one individual’s job responsibilities. Michael Bailey first held the Chief of Staff and Chief Deputy titles, and then Joe Kanefield, for Brnovich.
When Mayes assumed control of the Attorney General’s Office, she decided to create two positions from the Chief Deputy and Chief of Staff responsibilities. Dan Barr became Mayes’ Chief Deputy at the start of her tenure as the state’s top prosecutor. Love filled the Chief of Staff position.
Love previously worked for U.S. Senator Mark Kelly from Arizona, serving as his Outreach Director from February 2021 to January 2023.
Mayes’ loss within her staff nucleus follows a similar episode with Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs, who found herself without a Chief of Staff earlier this year. On May 25, Hobbs announced that Allie Bones would “be stepping down from her role…after four and a half years of public service with Hobbs” (mostly in the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office). At the time, Hobbs stated, “(Bones’) goal was to build a team that could work across the aisle to navigate divided government, and she accomplished that.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | May 10, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Amid a growing dispute with Governor Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Legislature over water issues, Democrat Attorney General Kris Mayes is adding another grievance to her tab: the Arizona Fiscal Year 2024 budget.
On Saturday, Attorney General Mayes transmitted a letter to Governor Hobbs and the Arizona Legislature, expressing her “alarm concerning what is currently under consideration for the Arizona Fiscal Year 2024 budget.” According to Mayes’ knowledge of the state of budget negotiations at the time, “most state agencies, including executive offices established by the Constitution such as the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, would not receive any new ongoing monies from the state’s General Fund in FY24.”
In her letter, Mayes noted that her office had requested “a 15 percent pay increase equal to $3,864,700 in ongoing General Fund dollars for the DCS Attorney General Special Line Item to protect Arizona’s children;” an appropriation of “$3,014,500 from the General Fund for 18.5 full-time employees in the Criminal Division that are currently funded from a temporary appropriation from our Consumer Protection Revolving Fund (CPRF);” $1,750,000 to backfill that (National Mortgage) Settlement funding with a CPRF appropriation (for 13 employees in the Consumer Protection Section of our Civil Litigation Division);” and another “$2,150,400 from the General Fund to replace this funding (from the Anti-Racketeering Revolving Fund) we will lose (because of recent statutory changes).”
General Mayes explained her reasoning for this letter in a statement issued Monday, writing, “Over the weekend, I expressed my alarm over a budget proposal that ignores vital needs of Arizonans – including much-needed funding for our office to continue to crack down on crime and fraud. Today, we see a budget proposal moving forward that appears to be politically expedient for a few, but wholly inadequate for the majority of people in our state. As I said, I am opposed to any statewide budget proposal that does not adequately fund Arizona’s ability to fight the fentanyl crisis and the drug cartels, protect Arizona’s children and combat elder abuse and consumer fraud.”
The State’s Chief Law Enforcement Officer also challenged the governor and members of the Legislature to come up with the requested funds, saying, “The Legislature and Governor need to go back to work and produce a budget that is in the best interest of all Arizonans. We need a budget that funds essential state services that protect the well-being and safety of all Arizonans. I will continue to fight, especially for our most vulnerable residents, as well as the dedicated, hard-working public servants in the Attorney General’s Office.”
Mayes, however, saved her most contentious declaration for the end of her letter, mentioning the “talk of the Legislature sweeping the authority of the Attorney General to direct funds received through consent judgments against several pharmaceutical companies for their roles in the opioid crisis.” She warned, “Sweeping this authority from the Attorney General would be a breach of the consent judgments, and as Attorney General I will not stand by and allow this to happen. I fully intend to consult with the Legislature as the judgments dictate. Any proposal that contradicts this provision by having the Legislature instead direct how the state funds will be used is not acceptable, and I am prepared to go to court to ensure that the State is able to obtain and properly direct those funds for opioid treatment, prevention and education if warranted.”
“Attorney General Mayes should learn the facts first, and accurately convey those facts in committee hearings, before making demands and threats to sue the Legislature and the Governor over the budget,” tweeted Livingston with a copy of his letter to her in which he points out that the Legislature does in fact have a say in how the funds are used.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
