Highlights
- Mesa police shot and killed Perry Forster, 59, Monday night after he armed himself with an axe during a domestic dispute near Mountain and Lindsay roads.
- Neighbor Josh Schweikart called 911, ushered the family into his garage, then relocated them to a friend's house as Forster smashed windows on at least 10 parked cars.
- Gilbert Police Department is conducting the officer-involved shooting investigation, standard procedure for East Valley incidents.
- Records show Forster worked as an educator in Minnesota for more than two decades; his employment status in Arizona at the time of the shooting has not been confirmed.
Mesa police shot and killed a 59-year-old man Monday night after he armed himself with an axe during a domestic dispute and advanced on neighbors who were sheltering his ex-wife and children, Arizona's Family reported. The incident was also confirmed by FOX 10 Phoenix and ABC15.
The incident began just after 7 p.m. near Mountain and Lindsay roads. Mesa police responded to a report of a domestic dispute and found Perry Forster arguing outside his home with his ex-wife and children while holding a shovel. Neighbor Josh Schweikart made the initial 911 call after hearing the woman screaming for help, then ushered the mother and children into his garage.
At that point, police say Forster traded the shovel for an axe. As Forster approached the garage, Schweikart grabbed a baseball bat to defend the family. Forster then walked down the street dragging the axe and screaming; security footage from a neighbor's camera showed him smashing the windows of at least 10 parked cars. Schweikart used the interval to move the woman and children from his garage into a friend's house.
Neighbor Debi Farr, whose car window was among those shattered, said the block united quickly. "It kind of happened as a default — we just care about each other," Farr said. "We keep an eye on each other."
Forster eventually turned back toward the house. Officers gave him several commands to stop; when he refused, they shot and killed him. One round missed Forster and struck a parked car. A neighbor who asked not to be identified described Schweikart's role: "His garage was open, and that provided a sanctuary for the family."
The Gilbert Police Department is conducting the investigation into the shooting, which is standard procedure for officer-involved shootings in the East Valley. Records show Forster worked as an educator in Minnesota for more than two decades; authorities are investigating reports that he was also employed in education in the Phoenix area, though his employment status at the time of the shooting has not been confirmed.
Gilbert PD has not announced a timeline for releasing investigative findings.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- AZ Family (3TV/CBS5) retrieved 05/08/2026 05:18
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 05/08/2026 05:18. Every claim traces to a source.
