PHOENIX — A son who killed his family and burned down their house as he shot at police and firefighters responding to a 911 call suffered from schizophrenia, relatives said.
And they forgive him for the tragedy. Ultimately, he was not to blame, they said.
“He’s not a bad person," said Mindy Miller, sister of Kim Buckner whose 26-year-old son, Alex, shot her to death. Alex Buckner also killed his father, Vic, and his sisters, Kaitlin, 18, and Emma, 6.
Although Alex Buckner suffered from drug problems in the past, Miller said he had gone to rehabilitation and had put those days behind him. She said he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, which she blamed for the tragedy.
Alex Buckner shot his family before setting their split-level home ablaze, police said. Officers fatally shot him after a confrontation inside the home.
It was not clear whether Alex Buckner was being treated for his mental illness.
But Rick Zard, Kim's nephew, put it bluntly: “Alex wasn’t evil.”
The family stood outside yellow police tape that blocked off the home as they convened a news conference Wednesday. Detectives wandered in and out of the tri-level house. At least one was in a protective suit.
Just before sunrise 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, one of Kim Buckner's three brothers.
Kaitlin and Emma were rescued and taken to a hospital, where they both died of their injures. Vic and Kim Buckner were found dead inside the home.
Dan 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 Buckner 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."
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 an Owasso police report released Tuesday, Alex Buckner 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 Buckner 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 Buckner was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting and resisting arrest.
In both cases, he pleaded guilty and paid fines, according to Owasso Municipal Court records.
The family of Alex Buckner's mother grew up in Phoenix. The Zard family had three brothers and three sisters, including the sister who would marry Vic Buckner.
Kim Buckner met her husband while he was a student at United Technical Institute here. The couple married in Kim’s mother’s backyard.
Vic Buckner's children were his "reason for existing," said Sharon Nichols, who runs Ducts Inc. where Vic Buckner was a foreman.
"Vic had a heart of gold," she said. "There was nothing he wouldn't do for anybody."
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 funeral expenses. A real account has been set up through Chase bank under the name Buckner Family Memorial Fund.
In a crowdfunding effort online, the picture attached to the campaign onGoFundMe 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 did say a family member owned the handgun used.
As the sun set, Ken Wallace, Kim Buckner'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, "God-fearing people, excellent parents."
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