Police said Jackson Berry was shot and stabbed after an early morning dispute in north Peoria.
PEORIA, AZ — A 31-year-old man died after being shot and stabbed outside a north Peoria home Monday morning, and the suspect later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a police chase near Payson, authorities said.
Peoria police said the killing began as a verbal dispute and ended after officers used camera technology to follow the suspect’s car more than 70 miles northeast. The case left Jackson Berry dead, brought a large police response to a quiet Vistancia-area neighborhood and drew in Payson officers after the suspect fled Peoria in a black Chevrolet Malibu.
First responders were called around 5:30 a.m. June 1 to the area of 124th Drive and Hummingbird Terrace, near Vistancia Boulevard and Ridgeline Road. Officers found Berry in front of his home with multiple gunshot wounds and stab wounds. Neighbors were giving aid when police arrived, and officers took over medical care before Berry was taken to a hospital, where he died. Police said investigators believe Berry and the suspect knew each other, but they had not released the nature of that relationship by Tuesday. The suspect’s name also had not been released. Police said the violence followed an argument, but they did not say what the argument was about or whether anyone else was involved.
Witnesses described waking to gunfire before officers reached the neighborhood. Rachel Rampton, who lives nearby, said she heard yelling and then a second burst of shots. “Then a little bit of yelling right after that, and then seven. Seven gunshots right in a row,” Rampton said. Brandon Rampton, another neighbor, said he went outside after hearing the shots, saw Berry on the ground and told his daughter to call 911. The early hour and the number of shots startled residents in the master-planned community, where homes sit near desert washes, neighborhood walls and streets that connect to Vistancia Boulevard. Police did not say how many total shots were fired or whether a weapon was recovered in Peoria.
After the shooting and stabbing, police said the suspect left in a black Chevrolet Malibu. Peoria police said their Real Time Crime Center and license plate readers helped locate the vehicle and track it as it traveled toward Payson. That route would have taken the suspect from the northwest Valley toward the high country in Gila County. Payson police tried to stop the car after Peoria police shared the information. Peoria police said the suspect did not stop, and a brief pursuit followed. The chase ended when the Malibu crashed. The suspect then ran from the vehicle, police said. During the foot pursuit, the suspect suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound and died at the scene.
The case showed how quickly a local homicide investigation moved from a residential street to a regional search. Peoria police said the Real Time Crime Center helped officers identify the suspect vehicle after it left the neighborhood. Such centers often bring together live camera feeds, license plate reader alerts and dispatch information so investigators can find vehicles tied to active crimes. In this case, police said that system helped track the Malibu toward Payson before local officers there attempted the stop. Police did not release the exact crash location, how long the pursuit lasted or whether Payson officers fired any shots. They also did not say whether body camera video, dash camera video or nearby surveillance video had been collected.
Peoria police said detectives continued to investigate the circumstances of Berry’s death, including what happened before the fight became violent and how the two men knew each other. No court case was expected against the suspect because he died, but police still must complete reports, gather evidence, interview witnesses and work with medical examiners on the official causes and manners of death. Authorities had not released autopsy findings by Tuesday. Police said there was no known continuing threat to the public and described the case as isolated. Investigators said more details would be released when available, but they gave no firm date for the next update.
The scene in Peoria unfolded before many neighbors had started their day. Residents near 124th Drive and Hummingbird Terrace described hearing gunfire, calling for help and watching officers block off the area as detectives worked near the home. The neighborhood sits in the Vistancia area of north Peoria, where wide roads and desert edges give way to tightly packed residential streets. The death of Berry, whose age was released by police, became the focus of the investigation through the morning as officers also worked to confirm the suspect’s movements after leaving the scene. Police did not report injuries to officers, bystanders or other residents during the Peoria response or the later pursuit near Payson.
By Tuesday, Berry was identified as the victim, the suspect remained unnamed, and Peoria police said the investigation was active. The next milestone will be the release of the suspect’s identity and any further findings on the dispute that preceded the killing.
Author note: Last updated June 2, 2026.