Mesa police kill man suspected of slaying two

Christine Villiger moved into her house at Las Alegras Adult Community in Mesa in December.

Within three weeks, the 57-year-old woman had asked a court to keep Thomas Kotecki, her neighbor, away from her, alleging he had roughed her up, tried to vandalize her property and threatened to kill her and beat up any men who visited her.

VIDEO: Witnesses describe shooting scene

Watch Tribune reporter Nicole Beyer's report

SLIDESHOW: Pictures from the crime scene

Wednesday night, Mesa police say, Kotecki shot and killed Villiger and James Moyer, 63, in the community at 3345 E. University Drive. SWAT team members then shot and killed Kotecki when he refused to drop his weapon and advanced toward them, police say.

"It was justified," said Berrot Bromley, 23, who witnessed the police shooting from a balcony in an adjoining apartment complex. "The cops didn't act hysterical until he did, and once that happened, he was dropped."

According to police spokesman detective Steve Berry, police were called at 11:20 p.m. to the complex between Lindsay Road and Val Vista Drive, for a "shots fired" call.

When officers arrived they found Villiger and Moyer in different parts of the complex, shot and bleeding.

Officers used patrol cars to shield themselves, then lifted the two victims and put them on the hoods of police cars and moved them off to a safe distance for treatment.

Villiger was pronounced dead at the scene. Moyer was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. As they were moving the victims, Berry said officers were confronted by Kotecki.

SWAT team members arrived and began negotiating with Kotecki, who was agitated and kept waving his gun around, pointing it at officers and himself, and going in and out of an apartment unit.

Bromley said the police negotiator was trying to calm Kotecki, who continually screamed profanities at the officers while keeping the gun to his head and mouth.

At one point, Kotecki puffed on a cigarette while holding the gun to his neck, Bromley said.

Kotecki then began to advance on the officers, waving the gun and refusing to drop it, Berry said.

"When he reached the point officers no longer felt safe - based on the fact he already apparently shot two individuals - the officers did shoot him and he was pronounced dead here at the scene," Berry said.

Bromley said he heard about six gunshots from officers.

"He just hit the ground and they tried to revive him," Bromley said. "Definitely the cops had the right (to shoot the man)."

According to a Web site, Kotecki was a Realtor and had been single for 14 years.

It is unclear from court documents filed by Villiger on Jan. 8 the exact nature of their relationship, but Villiger told the court Kotecki said if he couldn't have her, then nobody would. She wrote that she feared he would make trouble for her with her neighbors and children and that he yelled and screamed outside her home at 3 a.m. more than once.

Villiger alleged in a court petition that Kotecki forced his way into her home on Jan. 6 and "grabbed me by the hair, yelled and screamed and cussed at me."

She said Kotecki threw flowers at her and locked her garage door from the outside so it wouldn't open.

"He has told a neighbor that he would beat any male visitors to a pulp," Villiger wrote in court documents. "He also said last Saturday night to this same neighbor that he should go home and get a gun and kill us both - meaning me and my visitor."