Weekend wrap-up: Here are the biggest Arizona stories from past weekend
Jun 3, 2018, 6:35 PM
FILE - In this Friday, June 29, 2007, file photo, Dr. Steven Pitt poses in Scottsdale, Ariz. Authorities say the fatal shootings of two paralegals in a Phoenix suburb are related to the killing of Pitt, a well-known forensic psychiatrist in Phoenix, and police are investigating if a fourth homicide is related. (Julio Jimenez/East Valley Tribune via AP, File)
(Julio Jimenez/East Valley Tribune via AP, File)
PHOENIX — A recent string of shootings in a Phoenix suburb have had residents across the Valley on edge about where a potential suspect could strike next.
Here is the latest on those shootings, as well as some of the other major stories from this past weekend, both in Arizona and nationwide.
The latest on Scottsdale shootings
Four people were shot and killed in Scottsdale over a three-day period, between Thursday and Saturday.
Dr. Steven Pitt, a prominent forensic psychiatrist who provided expertise in the JonBenet Ramsey murder and Columbine High School shooting investigations, was shot to death Thursday outside a suburban Phoenix office building.
Two women were shot and killed in Old Town Scottsdale on Friday. Veleria Sharp, 48, and Laura Anderson, 49, both worked as paralegals at the law office of Burt, Feldman, Greneir.
Marshall Levine, 72, was found shot to death inside his Scottsdale office early Saturday morning. Levine’s office is in a building that houses mostly counselors and therapists.
While police believe the shooting deaths of Pitt, Sharp and Anderson are connected, they are unsure if Levine’s is related.
Phoenix launches safety campaign for dealing with deadly summer heat
Phoenix officials launched a safety campaign for Arizona’s brutal summer season, calling on people in one of the hottest major U.S. cities to protect themselves from extreme heat that can be deadly as temperatures regularly creep into triple digits.
The city mailed out fliers with tips for keeping safe in the broiling desert heat that will begin arriving Friday at some 400,000 homes, said Tammy Vo, city marketing and communications manager.
Phoenix’s heat is like “an invisible storm, a silent storm that creeps up on you and lasts for 110 days with temperatures of 100 degrees and higher,” said Mark Hartman, the city’s chief sustainability officer.
There were 155 heat-associated deaths reported in Phoenix’s Maricopa County in 2017, the highest annual number ever recorded, as the city experienced the warmest year on record.
More deaths, illnesses linked to E.coli outbreak from Arizona-grown lettuce
The death toll linked to a national food poisoning outbreak blamed on tainted lettuce that was grown in Arizona is on the rise.
Four more people have died from the E. coli outbreak, which was linked to romaine lettuce grown in Yuma, Arizona. The total number of deaths from the outbreak has reached five.
The deaths have been reported in California, Arkansas, Minnesota and New York.
Health officials said 25 more cases have been added, raising the total number of illnesses to 197 in 35 states. At least 89 people were hospitalized.
It has been the nation’s largest E. coli outbreak in a decade.
Authorities find body of 8-year-old boy with autism in Colorado River
Authorities in western Arizona have found the body of an 8-year-old nonverbal autistic boy who had gone missing.
The body of Jeremy Duncan was located in the Colorado River south of Rotary Park in Bullhead City early on Sunday morning.
Bullhead City Police Chief Brian Williamson confirmed later Sunday morning that the remains were those of Jeremy.
A search for Jeremy began on Saturday afternoon, after he was reported missing at 8 a.m.
Jeremy was last seen with no shirt or shoes, which was cause for major concern because of the excessive heat.
More than 1,000 first responders and volunteers searched by land, air and water for the boy into the nighttime hours.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
