The theft of two vehicles from a home in Fountain Hills is believed to have led to the murder of the suspected thief by a man he was employed by.

Phoenix Police arrested Arthur Paul Hunter in Mesa on Aug. 10 for allegedly shooting a man he believed stole two cars from a Fountain Hills home where they were working.

Hunter, as well as the victim and a woman, had been working at a home on Palisades Blvd. in Fountain Hills while the homeowner was out of town.

According to reports a 2017 Mercedes and a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas were taken from the home the night of Aug. 1.

On Thursday afternoon, Aug. 5, Phoenix Police were called to the area of 22nd and Southern avenues for a reported shooting. Officers found a wounded man who later died at the hospital.

A witness reported seeing a man near the scene of the shooting talking on a cellphone and he believed he was calling the police. That man was later identified as Hunter and police confirmed that he was in fact reporting the shooting at the time he was on the phone.

Both of the stolen vehicles were reportedly found in the vicinity of the shooting.

Another witness told Phoenix Police that Hunter had told him he was angry because having the vehicles stolen by one of his employees would reflect badly on his business. Hunter reportedly told police he was about to confront the victim about the stolen vehicles when he thought he was reaching for a weapon and shot him. It appears the victim was shot in the back as he was fleeing.

Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the owner of the vehicles contacted them about the theft at a time when he was out of town and having contractors work at his home. MCSO was not aware of the connection to the shooting until the murder was reported in the media.