Police: Fight led to deadly shooting at Amazon warehouse in Chandler

CHANDLER, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — A suspect is dead, and another man is in the hospital after an argument unrelated to work led to a shooting at an Amazon warehouse parking lot in Chandler on Wednesday morning.

According to police, 29-year-old Jacob Murphy, who doesn’t work for Amazon, arrived with a gun at the Amazon Fulfillment Center, southeast of Queen Creek and McQueen roads, around 9:30 a.m. That’s when police said he shot an unidentified Amazon-contracted employee multiple times. Then, a third man fired his own gun at Murphy. When first responders arrived, they found Murphy dead in the parking lot. The second man was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. As of Wednesday evening, he’s in stable condition. The third man wasn’t hurt. Police say it’s unclear if Murphy died from being shot by the third man or if he took his own life.

According to Sgt. Jason McClimans with Chandler police, the incident wasn’t an active shooter event, and Murphy wasn’t targeting Amazon employees. Instead, personal issues between the three men led to the violence, McClimans said. Both Amazon and the third man are cooperating with the investigation. The third man isn’t considered a suspect since he protected the second man, McClimans said.

“This was not something I ever expected,” Amazon contract worker Bryton Bobbie said. “I was in my van and I didn’t see anything in particular but I heard just a pop, pop, pop. As soon as I saw people running I just put my van in drive and got out of here.”

Bobbie knew the second man who was shot and said he’s a great guy. “He’s always the guy who will stand up for you. He’s an ex-military vet, as far as I’m aware. And he’s the guy that will stand up for us in any situation,” he said. Bobbie said he was grateful to the third man who shot Murphy. “He’s a big cigar fan. And we’re like, yeah, we need him the finest cigars. Or whatever he wants. He saved a lot of us,” Bobbie said.

Video from the scene showed an extensive police presence concentrated on at least one vehicle at the facility’s parking lot. The Chandler facility operates as a pickup zone for contracted Amazon Flex drivers, who pick up packages to deliver the same or the next day to customers.

In a statement to Arizona’s Family, a company spokesperson confirmed that operations have been temporarily suspended, with employees and contractors sent home with pay. “We’re deeply saddened by this senseless act of violence in our parking lot. We’re working closely with law enforcement as they investigate and are focused on supporting our team during this difficult time,” said Amazon spokesman Richard Rocha.

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