Maria Lewis, a 32-year-old mother of seven from Mesa, Arizona, was found shot to death on her neighbor's doorstep on February 28. Her husband, Albert Mendivil, discovered the scene after noticing police lights while inside their home with their children. The neighbor, a 47-year-old agent with the Arizona Attorney General's office, has been identified as involved in the shooting, though no arrest has been made.
On the early morning of February 28, Mesa police responded to a welfare check near the intersection of E. Kinetic Dr and S. Reliance Way. Officers arrived at a residence and located an adult female with a gunshot wound, who was later pronounced deceased. The victim was identified as Maria Lewis, 32, a mother of seven children ranging in age from 2 to 12.
Lewis's husband, Albert Mendivil, was inside their home with the children when he noticed red and blue police lights reflecting on the apartments. He ran outside to investigate and saw his wife on the neighbor's doorstep. "I see red and blue lights on the back of the apartments and I came running out and look over," Mendivil told local NBC affiliate KPNX. "And that's when police pulled me back."
According to Mendivil, the shooting occurred during a confrontation between Lewis and the neighbor, DuLance Morin, 47, an agent employed by the Arizona Attorney General's office since February 2016. Mendivil reported that investigators informed him of an altercation, though it remains unclear why Lewis was at Morin's house. The neighbor claimed the shooting was an accident, Mendivil said.
The Mesa Police Department confirmed Morin's involvement in the shooting but provided no further details on the circumstances. An investigation is ongoing, and Morin has not been arrested. The Attorney General's office placed Morin on administrative leave pending the police inquiry and stated it is fully cooperating. Communications director Richie Taylor noted, "The Attorney General's Office is fully cooperating with the Mesa PD investigation and will conduct an internal review."
Lewis's family has called for murder charges, according to local Fox affiliate KSAZ. A GoFundMe page launched by relatives describes Lewis as someone who raised seven children and leaves behind her husband, now a widower. Mendivil described her as "a great person. Just lost for words right now."
