Oct 13, 2026 · 14 min · 17 segments
Today - A newly released autopsy sheds more light on a fatal shooting in St. David, as investigators continue examining whether a homeowner was justified in using deadly force against a presumed…
A fatal shooting in St. David is still under investigation more than a month after a homeowner fired a single shot through a window, killing a 67-year-old man outside his residence.
Now, a newly released autopsy report is providing additional details about what happened that August morning, while raising questions about how Arizona's self-defense laws may apply.
Herald Review senior reporter Terry Jo Neff has been following the case.
The shooting happened August 30th at approximately 3.30 in the morning.
According to the Cochise County Sheriff's Office, the homeowner called 911 after hearing what he believed was a window breaking, leading him to suspect a burglary was underway.
The man was inside the home with his family, including two young children.
He told investigators he saw what appeared to be a shadow outside a window and fired one shot in that direction.
That bullet struck 67-year-old Daniel Cade Elsey, who died outside the residence.
He was pronounced dead at 4.16 that morning.
The autopsy, conducted by the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner, confirms that Elzey died from a single gunshot wound.
The bullet entered his upper right arm, traveled through his chest, damaging several vital organs and major blood vessels, and came to rest in the left side of his back.
The medical examiner also reported a high level of methamphetamine in Elsie's system at the time of his death.
While those findings help establish the medical circumstances of the shooting, they do not answer the central legal question.
Was the homeowner justified in firing that shot? That's something investigators and potentially county prosecutors will have to determine.
The Sheriff's Office confirmed Friday that its investigation remains active.
Once completed, cases involving potentially justified deadly force are typically forwarded to the Cochise County Attorney's Office for review.
Arizona law provides several legal protections for people who use force to defend themselves or others.
One provision, commonly associated with what's called the Castle Doctrine, addresses the use of physical or deadly force against someone unlawfully or forcefully entering an occupied home or vehicle.
Other statutes address self-defense, crime prevention, and the circumstances under which a person has no legal duty to retreat.
But those laws don't automatically make every shooting lawful.
Whether deadly force was reasonable and legally justified depends on the specific facts surrounding the incident.
And in this case, investigators must consider a particularly important detail.
The homeowner said he fired through a window at a shadow outside.
Public records also offer some background on Elsie's interactions with law enforcement in the weeks before his death.
In late July, Elsie was arrested on suspicion of felony endangerment after allegedly interfering with motorists in the St. David area.
A fatal shooting in St. David is still under investigation more than a month after a homeowner fired a single shot through a window, killing a 67-year-old man outside his residence.
Now, a newly released autopsy report is providing additional details about what happened that August morning, while raising questions about how Arizona's self-defense laws may apply.
Herald Review senior reporter Terry Jo Neff has been following the case.
The shooting happened August 30th at approximately 3.30 in the morning.
According to the Cochise County Sheriff's Office, the homeowner called 911 after hearing what he believed was a window breaking, leading him to suspect a burglary was underway.
The man was inside the home with his family, including two young children.
He told investigators he saw what appeared to be a shadow outside a window and fired one shot in that direction.
That bullet struck 67-year-old Daniel Cade Elsey, who died outside the residence.
He was pronounced dead at 4.16 that morning.
The autopsy, conducted by the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner, confirms that Elzey died from a single gunshot wound.
The bullet entered his upper right arm, traveled through his chest, damaging several vital organs and major blood vessels, and came to rest in the left side of his back.
The medical examiner also reported a high level of methamphetamine in Elsie's system at the time of his death.
While those findings help establish the medical circumstances of the shooting, they do not answer the central legal question.
Was the homeowner justified in firing that shot? That's something investigators and potentially county prosecutors will have to determine.
The Sheriff's Office confirmed Friday that its investigation remains active.
Once completed, cases involving potentially justified deadly force are typically forwarded to the Cochise County Attorney's Office for review.
Arizona law provides several legal protections for people who use force to defend themselves or others.
One provision, commonly associated with what's called the Castle Doctrine, addresses the use of physical or deadly force against someone unlawfully or forcefully entering an occupied home or vehicle.
Other statutes address self-defense, crime prevention, and the circumstances under which a person has no legal duty to retreat.
But those laws don't automatically make every shooting lawful.
Whether deadly force was reasonable and legally justified depends on the specific facts surrounding the incident.
And in this case, investigators must consider a particularly important detail.
The homeowner said he fired through a window at a shadow outside.
Public records also offer some background on Elsie's interactions with law enforcement in the weeks before his death.
In late July, Elsie was arrested on suspicion of felony endangerment after allegedly interfering with motorists in the St. David area.
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