Tucson police said Monday that officers arrested a man after he was found dead of gunshot wounds inside his family’s home last week.
Around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, police were called by the owner of a house on the 4300 block of East Linden Street who returned home to find one of his family members dead. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene and she was later identified as 24-year-old Baylealey Her McDermott.
Homicide detectives interviewed witnesses and spoke to McDermott’s family. Based on these interviews and evidence recovered from the scene, detectives identified the suspect as Avanti Antonio Pitko, 25. His SWAT at the Tucson Police Department and a group of officers from his Midtown Community Response Team provided an explanation. I received it and started searching for Pitco.
SWAT officers positioned Pitco on the east side of Tucson. He was taken into custody without incident and taken to Tucson Police Headquarters. Investigators said Picco and McDermott were not acquaintances. However, he was previously in a domestic relationship with another resident of his home.
After reviewing the interview and examining the evidence, detectives charged Pitco with first-degree murder. He was booked in the Pima County Jail and held on $500,000 bail.
