In the late afternoon of a Monday in November 2017, a dispute between neighbors in a Tolleson, Arizona community escalated into a fatal encounter. Steven Arvallo, a 45-year-old male investigator for the Arizona Department of Corrections, was shot and killed outside his home near 99th Avenue and Broadway Road on November 27th. The man identified by the Phoenix Police Department as the suspect was his neighbor, 36-year-old Sladjan Petkovic.
The two men were engaged in a verbal altercation that ended with Petkovic fatally shooting Arvallo.
Following the shooting, Petkovic fled the scene, sparking a manhunt that would come to a dramatic and violent end. In the early hours of the following morning, Tuesday, November 28th, law enforcement located Petkovic at a rest area west of Tonopah. What ensued was a gun battle with an Arizona Department of Public Safety trooper and other responding officers. After an exchange of approximately 300 rounds of ammunition, Petkovic was taken into custody. He was found to be armed with two handguns and an automatic rifle.
Petkovic sustained life-threatening injuries during the shootout and was transported to a hospital. Despite initial reports suggesting he was not expected to survive, Sladjan Petkovic did recover from his injuries. He was subsequently indicted by a grand jury on charges including first-degree murder for the death of Steven Arvallo. Court records from the Arizona Court of Appeals indicate ongoing legal proceedings in the case of 'STATE v. PETKOVIC' as recently as late 2024, showing the matter is in a post-conviction relief phase.
Steven Arvallo was remembered as a dedicated public servant and a family man. He began his career with the Arizona Department of Corrections in 1995 as a corrections officer and retired after two decades of service. About a year and a half before his death, he returned to the department as a background investigator. He is survived by his wife and two children.
