Legal Commentary

AZ Local Minuteman Leader Arrested in Double Homicide

By Jeralyn

Shwawna Ford, the National Executive Director of a local the Minuteman American Defense group (M.A.D.) has been arrested for a double killing, that of a 9 year old and her father, during a home invasion last month.

According to authorities, Bush, [MAD leader Shawna] Forde, and Gaxiola broke into the home of the Flores family just after midnight on May 30th. At the time, the mother, father and daughter were home. The invaders reportedly shot the three members of the Flores family, killing the father, Raul, and the daughter, Brisenia. The invaders then left the scene.[More...]

The mother survived the shooting, called police, and found a gun. Sheriff Dupnik says the three returned moments later to make sure everyone was dead. At that point, the mother shot and injured Bush, and the three fled the scene.....Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik says, "Jason Bush was in fact the shooter of all three of these people under orders from Ms. Forde."

According to the groups' website, it targets drug traffickers and the undocumented, but does not do home invasions or resort to violence. According to the news video above, the group's operations director, who goes by the name "gunny" on the website and rants quite a bit, is alleged shooter Jason Bush. Sheriff Dupnik says:

"The husband who was murdered has a history in being involved in narcotics and there was an anticipation that there would be a considerable amount of cash at this location, as well as the possiblity of drugs."

Sheriff Dupnik adds, "To just kill a 9-year old girl because she could be a potential witness, to me, is one of the most despicable acts I have ever heard of."

Forde's group is not formally connected to the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps or the Minutemen project run by Chris Simcox and James Gilchrist.

Bush is recovering from a gunshot wound he allegedly received during the shooting in a hospital in Kingman, AZ.

The Sheriff is understandably upset at these horrible murders, but he needs to button his lip and avoid prejudicing a potential jury pool and possibly jeopardizing any potential future conviction with statements like these:

"If you look at her history closely, and you know what we know, she is at best a pyschopath," says Sheriff Dupnik referring to Forde during a press conference Friday.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on June 13, 2009 (boomark / email).