Bodycam footage shows dad, 53, shot dead by cops after he 'battered his wife and young child, 13, to death'

DISTURBING bodycam footage shows the moment a father of two was gunned down by Phoenix cops after killing his wife and teen son and asking a neighbor for a gun to take his own life with.

The fatal encounter happened on October 25 just after 10pm, when cops inArizona responded to a 911 call from Paul Sarver's neighbor, who said the 53-year-old dad repeatedly made suicide threats before asking to borrow the weapon.


Sarver left the home empty-handed, but he reportedly told his neighbors to look after his 11-year-old daughter and keep her safe before heading to his house alone.

When two cops arrived at the house near Interstate 17 and Jomax Road, police told AZ Central that Sarver popped out from behind a parked car in the driveway and said he had a gun while pointing an object at them.

Bodycam footage from the Phoenix Police Department captured the tense standoff between Sarver and local authorities.

An officer is heard demanding that the dad "Stay down, get that weapon down."

Sarver then extended the object out in front of himself and pointed it at officers, who then opened fire on him.

Police tried to aid the father before emergency services arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Phoenix police spokesperson Sgt Maggie Cox told the news outlet that Sarver was holding a black hard-shell glasses case, which was found next to his body.

Officers then entered the home, where they discovered Sarver's 46-year-old wife Shannon Hurst and his 13-year-old son Caden Sarver critically hurt and badly bleeding.




Both were rushed to the hospital, where Hurst died several hours after arriving.

Caden Sarver succumbed to his injuries days later and died on October 30, according to AZ Central.

Sarver's daughter was found unharmed at a neighbor's house, but it's unclear whether she witnessed her father brutally murder her mom and brother beforehand.

Close friends of Hurst told Fox 10 her husband struggled with mental health issues and that she was planning to get him help.

"She lived for her kids, and she lived to give them the happiest life that she could," neighbor Lindsay Kennedy said of Hursh. 

Although neighbors described Sarver as the "stricter" parent, many were shocked that the seemingly quiet family has been destroyed by tragedy.

"It just goes to show you don’t know what’s going on in other people’s houses," said neighbor Laurie Abels.

"He must’ve had a lot of problems, I wish he would’ve reached out in a different way."



Grieving family members have set up a GoFundMe page, where they memorialized Hurst as an "amazing mother and friend who was valued and loved beyond measure."

"Her presence and life is already truly missed by many,' the tribute continued.

"She loved her kids more then (sic) words can describe and did everything she could for them."

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