SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Scottsdale police are working to determine who murdered a young father inside his apartment.
Richard Chavez, 26, was found shot to death Saturday evening at the Scottsdale Highlands Apartments.
Neighbors tell ABC15 the shooting happened overnight, but police could not see where the shell casings or bullet entries were in the dark.
"I heard a noise, but I thought it was firecrackers or something," said Michelle Goldschmidt, a neighbor.
Relatives called the police when of one Chavez's sisters returned from a trip to Yuma and found the door locked and bullet holes in the glass. Neighbors say there were five bullet holes, which entered into the kitchen.
Scottsdale police said the shooting was not random but declined to elaborate.
"He's just a good person, always happy and full of life," said Cazares, Chavez's other sister. "Just a dedicated father and brother, he loved his family."
Now the tight-knit family is without their brother, fiance, and Richard's five-year-old is without his dad.
"[His fiance] just told him that his dad's body stopped working," said Cazares. "They were together every day. He loved his dad."
While Scottsdale police say the suspect appears to have had a motive, the family cannot understand why.
"It's hard to believe because we can't understand why someone would do this to him. He didn't have enemies," she said.
As detectives work leads, Chavez's family is working on funeral arrangements.
"Everybody is still in shock; everybody's hurt," she said.
Relatives are hoping the shooter, or someone with information comes forward and helps provide closure.
"They took away part of us. We are never going to get that back."
The family has started a GoFundMe to raise money for the funeral.
Scottsdale Police are asking anyone with information to call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS or 480-TESTIGO or submit an anonymous tip online.
