Authorities say two people were killed and two others injured in an eastern Arizona bar after a person opened fire Sunday night.

The shooting left many in this community 87 miles east of Phoenix, which was built on the state's mining history, shaken, with some calling for stricter gun regulation in the wake of the tragedy.

The Gila County Sheriff's Office said Monday it is assisting the Globe Police Department in investigating the shooting that occurred just before 10:30 p.m. at Jammerz Bar.

Globe police have identified the shooting suspect as 22-year-old Sterling Randall Hunt of Globe.

In a press conference Monday afternoon, police said Hunt and the four shooting victims, all Globe residents, had been playing pool at the bar. When three of them went to the back patio to smoke, police said Hunt followed the trio and began shooting.

A 44-year-old woman and 22-year-old man died at the scene. Another two victims, two 22-year-old women, were airlifted to Phoenix with critical injuries.

Police said there was no apparent motive.

Hunt was being held Monday in a jail on the San Carlos Indian Reservation on an unrelated charge. Police said he went to visit a friend in the community after the shooting.

Authorities had not identified the victims as of late Monday, but many in the community knew them.

Juanita Moia was outside the crime scene Monday afternoon holding a sign, that read, "Does anyone believe in God any more?"

Moia said she is a relative of the 44-year-old woman who was shot to death, a bartender who worked at Jammerz.

"Stop the hatred," Moia said, her voice quivering. " The hatred and people coming in and shooting around not thinking twice, not thinking at all. Not having God in their lives."

Moia said her mother woke her up Monday morning to deliver the terrible news. Moia said she frequented the bar often, but now doesn't plan on returning.

"It's nice, you know?" Moia said of the bar. "People like to go to enjoy themselves, not to go get shot by some drunk idiot. "

Cheryl Bentlay, who works at a Ford body shop nearby, said she learned about the shooting on Facebook. She was surprised to see such a tragedy befall the normally quiet town.

"We don't see stuff like this in Globe," Bentlay said. "For something this tragic to happen, and I mean it's on our doorstep right here."

Bentlay said the bar is popular with younger crowds and her daughter goes there.

Dakota Cline was bartending at the nearby Drift Inn Saloon Sunday evening when a man burst through the door saying there was a shooting at Jammerz — only a couple of buildings away.

Cline said he rushed over and found a girl limping out of the bar. He helped her to safety and entered the bar where he found two people he knew shot in the head.

"It was terrifying," Cline said. "When I got there, the shooter was still in the backyard. I pulled everybody inside the building."

Cline said the bartender who was killed was one of the best people he knew.

"She's been part of lives for going on 20 years. I mean, if you came here, not only would you know she was the best person, but she was your go-to person at the bar whether she was working or not. She's just a life to be cherished."

Lisa Brazil, was holding a gathering at Farley's Pub, a business she co-owns that's just a few blocks away from Jammerz. Brazil said she, like many in the community, knew all of the victims.

"We're devastated," Brazil said. "Everybody here is devastated. We are numb. We are in shock. There are people that are just beautiful, wonderful people that — as (with) every shooting — just wiped a tragically for no reason."

Brazil said the shooting raises the question of whether stricter gun regulation is needed.

"Somehow, someway, crazy people are getting their hands on guns," Brazil said. "It's a bigger issue than Globe, it's a bigger issue than Gila County, it's a bigger issue than Arizona, but it's an issue in Globe, it's an issue in Gila County and it's an issue in Arizona."

A woman nearby questioned whether gun control legislation would ever happen, stating the National Rifle Association owned America.

But Brazil was resolute.

"I don’t give a s--t about the NRA," Brazil said. "Changes have to be made. We have to stop putting guns in the hands of insane people."

Globe Councilman-elect Jesse Leetham said Arizona should no longer be an open-carry state and echoed Brazil's call for stronger gun control. Leetham said he didn't know what the shooter's intentions were, but promised the community would not be defined by fear.

"If this event's purpose was to make people fear Globe, Arizona — that will never happen,'' Letham said.

Leetham noted the community's intimacy made the loss resonate all the more.

"You see big cities where big cities are afraid to get with their neighbors. This is not here. This is a city where we know our neighbors. We know and we feel. We feel the hurt. We feel the heartache."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Return to azcentral.com for updates.

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