Ballet Arizona Dancer Shot To Death By Husband: Police

TEMPE, AZ — A Ballet Arizona dancer was shot to death early Friday morning by her husband, according to Tempe police.

Her husband told police he shot his wife after she startled him in the middle of the night, according to police.

Colleen Hoopes, 25, was found inside her home at 1415 S. College Ave. around 3:45 a.m., with a gunshot wound, according to police. She was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said.

Christopher Hoopes was arrested on suspicion of second degree murder and unlawful discharge of a weapon, police said.

Ballet Arizona confirmed that Colleen Hoopes was one of its company dancers. She joined Ballet Arizona in 2017, according to her profile on the organization's website. She was originally from Rochester, New York.

"We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Company Dancer, Colleen Hoopes," Mallory Porter, Ballet Arizona's director of marketing said in an email to Patch. "Colleen was an integral part of the Ballet Arizona family and will be missed deeply. She was passionate and dedicated to her artform and a bright light to us all. Our hearts go out to her loved ones."