Phoenix family shot by son 'carried love for one another deeply'

A day after a man shot his family and set their Phoenix home ablaze, a group of relatives gathered outside the charred remains of the house Wednesday to say they forgave him.

"It pains me to be standing out here today under these circumstances," said Bob Zard of Phoenix, brother of Kim Buckner, who was shot to death by her 26-year-old son, Alex. Alex Buckner also killed his father, Vic, and his sisters, Kaitlin, 18, and Emma, 6.

Alex was shot by police inside the burning home.

"They were an extremely close family and carried love for one another deeply," Zard said at a news conference outside the home. He was surrounded by brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews.

Zard described each family member. Vic, 50, was a "hardworking family man." Kim, 49, "dedicated her life to raising the best family she could." Kaitlin had just started college, studying to be an ultrasound tech and "greeted everyone with a smile." Emma, he said, was creative and "lit up the room."

Alex, whom police say shot his family before setting the split-level home ablaze, "grew up in the best environment possible. He was loved greatly and loved in return."

Other family members repeated the refrain: They forgave Alex. He was not to blame.

“He’s not a bad person, and we forgive him,” said Mindy Miller, Kim's sister.

Miller said that although Alex suffered from drug problems in the past, he had gone to rehabilitation had put those days behind him. She said he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, which she blamed for the tragedy.

“There’s nothing we regret, because we always let everyone know (how much we love them,)” Miller said.

Rick Zard, Kim's nephew, put it bluntly: “Alex wasn’t evil.”

The family stood outside yellow police tape that blocked off the home. Detectives wandered in and out of the tri-level house. At least one was in a protective suit.

Just before sunrise on Tuesday, police received a call from inside the home about the gunshots. When officers arrived, the house was on fire. Police put on borrowed firefighters’ equipment and went in to try to save those inside.

“They very nearly saved two people, but it was just too tragic” said Dan Zard, another of Kim's three brothers.

Kaitlin and Emma were rescued and taken to a hospital, where they both died of their injures. Vic and Kim were found dead inside the home.

Zard said he was grateful for first responders' efforts. “I would like to personally meet them and thank them,” he said.

Billy Zard, who flew in Wednesday from Seattle to be with his family, said he last saw his sister two summers ago at a Fourth of July party at the home. “I taught my son how to swim in that pool,” he said.

Billy Zard said Alex wasn't home that day, but not because of family strife. He was driving a truck and out of town.

“I know he was well-loved by his mom and dad,” Billy Zard said. “It’s a mystery as to why this happened."

The Zard family, three brothers and three sisters, grew up in Phoenix. Kim, a graduate of Trevor G. Browne High School, met Vic while he was a student at United Technical Institute here. The couple married in Kim’s mother’s backyard.

Dan Zard said the family will work to clean up the property and then prepare for five funerals.

“We’re all working paycheck to paycheck,” he said. “It’s hard enough to bury one person, but five.” He choked up on those final words.

The family spoke Wednesday in part to refute what they said were fraudulent fundraising sites purporting to raise money for the funeral expenses. A real account has been set up through Chase bank, under the name Buckner Family Memorial Fund. There is a crowdfunding effort online and the picture attached to the campaign on gofundme shows all five members of the family standing in front of a Christmas tree.

Dan Zard emphasized again that the family is mourning the entire family.

“There was five victims, not four,” he said. “We won’t blame Alex. Alex was a victim just like the others were.”

Billy Zard, standing next to his brother, agreed. “It sounds like he didn’t get the help that he needed,” he said.

Police have not yet announced a suspected motive for the slaying. A spokesman on Wednesday did say the handgun used was owned by a family member.

As the sun set, Ken Wallace, Kim's stepfather, carried a bouquet of flowers, a stuffed animal and a candle past the crime scene tape. It was the first time the family had been allowed up to the house since it became a crime scene. He walked the items to the edge of the front yard, gently placing them there.

Earlier, he started crying while speaking of the Buckner family.

"The family was always together," he said, as the family gathered to speak to reporters outside the home. "God-fearing people. Excellent parents."

Vic  had 'a heart of gold,' his employer says

Vic's children were his "reason for existing," said Sharon Nichols, who runs Ducts Inc., where Vic was a foreman.

"Vic had a heart of gold," she said. "There was nothing he wouldn't do for anybody."

Nichols, president of the heating and air-conditioning installation and repair business based in west Phoenix, said the father of three started working at Ducts more than three years ago. He managed projects and crew in addition to meeting with clients and helping educate his team.

Vic always approached challenges head-on, even during stressful projects, she said.

"He was an incredible man who was full of love," Nichols said. "He had such a positive energy."

She said that he'd beam with pride when talking about his family and that there was no indication of trouble at home.

Nichols met Kim, Vic's wife, at a baby shower.

"She was a sweetheart — so warm. When you'd see her smile and eyes, you'd feel you'd known her forever."

Bob Zard, one of Kim's brothers, is vice president of Ducts Inc.

"We're all just devastated," Nichols said. "I kept praying, 'Please don't let it be true.' "

All the field projects company employees were working on were shut down Tuesday to give employees time to reflect and come up with a plan to help surviving family members, Nichols said.

Alex Buckner had a small criminal history

Though local authorities said they had no history with Alex Buckner, the 26-year-old had two previous arrests months apart in 2012 while living in Owasso, Okla., a suburb of Tulsa.

The first arrest, in April 2012, was on suspicion of public intoxication. According to a report released by Owasso police Tuesday, Alex was passed out in front of a pizza restaurant about 10:30 p.m. The report noted he was “intoxicated on synthetic marijuana.”

In November 2012, Alex was arrested and accused of stealing a sleeve of sleeping pills from a Walmart less than a half-mile from his parents' home. The report said an employee of the store followed Buckner to a nearby neighborhood and told police where he was hiding. Alex was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting and resisting arrest.

In both cases, he pleaded guilty and paid fines, according to Owasso Municipal Court records.