Arizona mother of 7 tragically shot on doorstep after evening walk

In Arizona, a mother of seven was tragically shot and killed early on the morning of February 28. 

Officers found her deceased when they conducted a welfare check at a local residence.

Mesa law enforcement was dispatched around 2:30am to a home near Ray Road in the southeast region of Mesa. 

There, they discovered 32-year-old Maria Ernestina Lewis with a gunshot injury, as reported by Fox 10 Phoenix, Arizona’s Family, and KPNX, citing police sources. She was declared dead at the location, the sources confirmed.

As per KPNX and 12 News, her body was located at a neighbour's doorstep. According to Arizona’s Family, on the following Monday, it was noted that the porch's paver steps and doorbell camera were absent.

The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office has officially registered Lewis’ death as homicide, based on online records accessed by PEOPLE.

No suspect has been identified nor any arrests made, as per the reports. The authorities have withheld further details about the events leading to the shooting, as the case is still under investigation.

Lewis’ spouse, Albert Mendivil, shared with KPNX that his wife had taken a walk shortly before the police arrived.

“I noticed the flashing lights behind the apartments and rushed out to see. That’s when the officers held me back,” Mendivil said.

He mentioned to the source that the investigators confirmed Lewis's passing, though he remains unclear about the circumstances.

“She was a wonderful person, vibrant, with a radiant smile,” he reminisced about his wife, whom he knew since they were children. “We shared a very good life.”

In a GoFundMe created by Lewis' family to help with funeral and legal expenses, it’s noted that her children, aged between two and twelve, are now left without their mother.