Suspect booked on first degree murder charge in Maricopa shooting

A Maricopa resident is in custody following a fatal shooting last evening at a house at the intersection of Honeycutt Road and McCord Drive.

inmaricopa.com has learned that the suspect is James Tanner, 39, of Maricopa. Tanner, who has been charged with first degree murder, was booked into the Pinal County jail facility and will be arraigned at a later date.

Tanner allegedly came home to the house in the 44000 block of McCord Drive and confronted Maricopa resident Paul Spencer at the residence. Spencer, who was the manager of Barro’s Pizza in Maricopa, died of a gunshot wound. A sign on the front door of Barro’s Pizza on Wednesday said the shop was closed as a result of unforeseen circumstances.

Spencer was the husband of Stephannie Spencer, an employee at Santa Rosa Elementary School. Paul Spencer was married with three children; Tanner is married with four children. The home where the shooting occured is reportedly owned by James and Anissa Tanner.

According to a city release, the Maricopa Police Department received a call referencing shots fired inside a residence. The shooting appears to be a domestic dispute between an estranged husband and wife.

Maricopa Police Department, DPS Criminal Investigations Unit and a Deputy County Attorney are working together on this case.

More details will be released as they become available.