He broke into
a gun store
at 3 a.m.
In August 2022, William Martinez, 26, broke into a gun store in Phoenix, Arizona at approximately 3 a.m. He forced open a glass display case. A firearm in the display case discharged during the break-in. He was the only person in the store. Phoenix Police Department confirmed his death. ABC15 Arizona reported his name and age. No other individuals were injured.
A federally licensed gun store. Full of firearms.
Licensed firearms dealers in the United States operate under Federal Firearms License (FFL) requirements enforced by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). These requirements include specific storage and security provisions for the inventory. Display cases — glass cabinets holding handguns, rifles, and shotguns for customer inspection — are a standard fixture of retail gun store layouts. The firearms in them are real. They are loaded in many stores, or kept with loaded magazines nearby. They are not decorative.
Phoenix, Arizona, sits in Maricopa County and is one of the largest cities in the United States. It has a substantial number of licensed firearms dealers. It is also in a constitutional carry state — Arizona enacted permitless carry in 2010 — meaning the legal and cultural context around firearms in the city is broadly understood by its residents.
He knew it was a gun store. He broke in anyway.
The irony documented here is not subtle. Gun stores are, by definition, the category of retail establishment most likely to contain loaded firearms within reach of a burglar. They are also, for the same reason, among the most frequently targeted by burglars — the ATF tracked over 1,500 gun store burglaries nationally in 2021 alone. Most burglars who target gun stores are aware of the inventory. The risk calculation, apparently, varies by individual.
Martinez entered the store at approximately 3 a.m. — a time chosen, presumably, to minimize the chance of encountering a human being. The display case did not have that consideration. Phoenix Police Department confirmed the sequence of events through the surveillance footage and the physical evidence at the scene. There were no other suspects. There was no accomplice identified. He was alone.
Gun stores are frequently burglarized. This outcome is unusual.
The ATF has documented that gun stores are a consistent target for burglars seeking firearms for resale or use. The typical gun store burglary proceeds as follows: entry through a door or window, smash-and-grab of display cases, exit with firearms. Most of these burglaries do not result in injury to the burglar. The inventory is generally not in a state where forced opening of the case would cause a discharge.
The Martinez case is documented as an exception — a specific combination of the display case, the particular firearm, its condition at the time, and the force applied during the break-in. Phoenix Police Department investigated and confirmed the sequence. ABC15 Arizona, KSAZ Fox 10 Phoenix, and AZFamily / 3TV CBS 5 all covered the story at the time. It was not disputed.
One break-in. One display case. One outcome.
“Officers arrived and found one male inside the store who was deceased. There were no other injuries.”
Phoenix Police Department — press release · August 2022