PHOENIX — "It brings a little bit of tear (to) my eyes because (of) the three kids. It's sad," says Mike Skiles.
An entire neighborhood is left heartbroken and traumatized after an apparent domestic violence situation turned deadly earlier this week.
ABC15 was given an exclusive Ring doorbell video that shows Mike Skiles running for cover after gunshots erupted Monday evening near 43rd and Southern avenues in Laveen.
"When I walked out around the truck, I saw the two police officers in the doorway and I heard them yelling, 'put the weapon down, put the weapon down.' They yelled it like four times," says Skiles.
Phoenix police tell us they found 40-year-old Monica Castro inside a home, bleeding on the ground in a kneeling position. Officers say her husband, 40-year-old Anthony Castro, was kneeling behind with two knives and continued stabbing her as police called out commands to drop the weapons. That's when police say shots were fired, killing Anthony.
Skiles, who lives two doors down from the scene, says officers then carried who he believes was the man's grandmother into the street. Without thinking, Skiles jumped in to help.
"Grabbed her hand and I pulled it up and I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around real tight. Just tried to calm her down," says Skiles. His fiancée, Diana, brought out water, a jacket, and slippers for the elderly woman who we're told was extremely distraught after apparently trying to intervene as a way to stop the situation.
"She said, 'I had the knife in my hand,' and I'm like, 'you had what?' She says, 'I had the knife in my hand and he pulled it back,' and that's when she was sliced," says Diana Dugger, another neighbor.
The elderly woman was taken to the hospital a short time later and was released. Monica was also taken to a hospital in critical condition until Tuesday when police confirmed she had died from her injuries. The couple's three children ran away during the incident but we're told they are safe.
"I lit a candle because there's going to be three little girls that aren't going to have their parents," says Dugger.
Neighbors continue thinking of them.
"If we all just helped everybody, it would be a little peaceful world to live (in)," says Skiles.
