Two little girls were fatally shot by their father in his Arizona home shortly after the mother filed a restraining order against him for repeated harassment and violence.
Phoenix police discovered the tragic scene after the girls’ mother, Carmen Arismendez, called them to check on her daughters and ex-husband Jerad Arismendez. Police arrived to Jerad’s residence and found 5-year-old Audrey lying dead. Ariah, 4, was seriously wounded and was transported to a local hospital, where she later died from her injuries.
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Little Audrey and Ariah lived with their mother, but were visiting their father for the weekend.
Several months before Jerad opened fire on his young daughters, Carmen became increasingly worried for her safety and that of her children. Carmen said Jerad would call her up 50 times a day, and at one point had put her in a choke hold.
Jerad had past convictions for disorderly conduct, but previous charges of assault and criminal damage had been dismissed. She filed the protective order against her ex-husband, claiming he had “violent tendencies” and obsessive behavior.
“He lives 1 minute away from me and can come over to ‘take care of me’ whenever,” she wrote when filing the protective order. “I fear for my safety as he has violent tendencies.”
Unfortunately, the paperwork did nothing to stop Jerad from his violent outburst.
“This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” one of the the girls’ relatives, Maira Garcia, wrote on a GoFundMe page set up to help pay for their funeral expenses. “I found out this morning that my 4 and 5 year old baby cousins Ariah and Audrey have gone to heaven. They were victims of a tragic incident and we will miss them so much.”
“Audrey had just started kindergarten and Ariah was looking forward to joining her sister in school,” Garcia wrote on the page, which has raised more than $10,000. “They were the happiest little girls I know and so full of life and happiness and adventure.”
We extend our deepest condolences to the rest of the family during this tragic time.
[ H/T People ]
