Two Minutemen Leaders Held in Ariz. Slayings

Dad, 9-year-old girl killed in raid to steal cash, drugs, cops say
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 14, 2009 10:40 AM CDT
Two Minutemen Leaders Held in Ariz. Slayings
Albert Robert Gaxiola, 42, one of three suspects arrested in connection with a fatal home invasion that left a father and daughter dead.   (AP Photo/Pima County Sheriff's Department)

Two of three people arrested in the Arizona murder of a 9-year-old and her father were involved with a small anti-illegal immigrant group, the AP reports. Shawna Forde, the founder of Minutemen American Defense, and Jason Bush, its operations director, were charged with murder, assault, and burglary in the home invasion last month, reports the Arizona Daily Star. The three had aimed to steal money and drugs, and leave “no witnesses,” police said.

"This is not what Minutemen do," said a group spokesman. "Minutemen observe, document, and report. This is nothing more than a cold-hearted criminal act, and that is all we want to say." Police said the three, claiming to be cops, entered the home of Raul Flores, a suspected drug dealer. “The plan was to kill everyone. To kill a 9-year-old because she might be a potential witness is one of the most despicable acts I've heard of,” said the sheriff. The girl's mother was wounded.
(More Mexican border stories.)

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