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Buckeye officer-involved shooting update: New details about west Valley shooting

Posted at 6:33 PM, Jun 27, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-28 02:04:15-04

Family and friends are mourning the loss of a Buckeye couple involved in an officer-involved shooting Saturday.

Authorities have not released the couple's identities. Family members say the victims are William and Breanne Ferguson.

Buckeye police remain tight-lipped about the investigation, only saying they responded to a welfare check and encountered a man who started firing at them. Buckeye Police spokeswoman Tamela Skaggs said two officers fired back.

During the investigation, detectives discovered the body of Breanne Ferguson in the home, along with two young children who were unharmed.

Police said the children were taken to stay with a relative.

Friends shared William Ferguson's last Facebook post with ABC15. In his chilling last words, he called his wife a drug addict, and said "I killed her today to protect myself and my children."

One friend called police. Some thought it was just a bad joke. One friend who wanted to remain anonymous said "he's just a big comedian, always pulling jokes and saying things. 

A family member close to Breanne Ferguson said her daughter was the victim of domestic violence. She said Ferguson had sent an email before her death, titled "Desperate". The body read, "Please help me."

Friends who were close to the couple and spoke to them almost every day said they did not buy that.

"She's a very strong woman. She would not stand for that herself."

One thing friends struggle to understand is the way in which he died. Friends said Ferguson was very pro-law enforcement. He wanted to be an officer so they cannot understand how he would fire at law enforcement.

Both were former employees of an elite security company in California, before moving to Buckeye, and shared a passion for shooting and guns. William Ferguson was also involved in local Patriot groups.

The shooting shut down streets in the residential neighborhood for more than seven hours. Homes, garages and cars were riddled with bullets. Police said they had received some complaints and wanted to stress they had been there to protect the neighborhood.

Residents living in the area near Southern and Watson expressed shock, saying it was a very peaceful area. They did not expect to see anything like what happened Saturday.

Misty Sanders had just left her home on Wayland Drive for a few minutes to pick up some groceries for dinner, and was unable to get home as police were not allowing anyone through the crime tape.

"I have kids at home right now I can't get home to. I was very worried. Asking them if I could go home, they told me it wasn't safe to go home yet," said Sanders.

Then, she got a frantic call from her 18-year-old daughter.

"Apparently they heard gun shots, heard a woman scream for help, then heard more gun shots," added Sanders.

Police told her to tell the kids to stay in the house. The entire neighborhood was on lockdown for more than seven hours.

Another resident worried about the dogs she had left in the backyard. She, like Sanders, ran out for a quick errand, but was unable to get back home.

Police said DPS was taking over the officer-involved shooting part of the investigation, while detectives try to piece together the rest of it.

Police initially reported this as a self-inflicted gunshot wound, but are now trying to figure out how the man died, after they exchanged gun fire.

One man who lives in the neighborhood said he heard 30-40 gun shots.

An account has been set up to help the couple's children. If you would like to help, you can donate here.