Phoenix shooting kills 2, injures 4
Witnesses say man leaves gathering, only to return to house and open fire
Two people died and four others were wounded during an early morning shooting Tuesday at a house party on North 27th Avenue near West Butler Drive in Phoenix, fire officials said.
The suspected shooter, identified only as a 29-year-old man, has been taken into custody by Phoenix police, the department announced on its Twitter account.
The shooting happened about 3:30 a.m. on the 8500 block of North 27th Avenue, Phoenix police officials said. Four men, ages 22, 29, 50 and 56, were taken to a hospital, according to fire and police officials.
The two people who died at the scene were identified as a 30-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl, Phoenix police Sgt. Armando Carbajal said in a press briefing.
The father of the 30-year-old victim was one of the four men shot. All four men in the hospital are expected to survive, Carbajal said.
Police say there was a party at the house and an argument broke out, possibly over a relationship. The shooter left the location, then came back and started shooting, according to Carbajal.
The daughter-in-law of the owner of the house where the shooting took place told The Republic that it was not a party. She said there were eight people in the house that were just hanging out.
She also said the argument was not about a relationship, but she did not clarify what the argument was really about.
After the shooting, witnesses said the shooter got into his car and drove northbound, Carbajal explained.
At about 10:20 a.m., a plain clothes officer noticed a vehicle with hazards on, driving slowly down Northern Avenue. The officer slowed to assist the driver but quickly noticed the vehicle and driver matched the shooter’s description, Carbajal said. The officer called for additional units and after the marked police vehicles arrived, the man got out of his vehicle with his hands up and surrendered to officers, Carbajal said.
A neighbor, who did not want to be identified, explained to The Republic that it is not rare to hear people fire guns in the area and drive off, but it was still not a good situation.
“The fact that it was so close to the school zone is scary,” the neighbor said.
The shooting took place down the street from Washington Elementary School.
North 27th Avenue is closed from West Butler Drive to West Dunlap Avenue while detectives continue to investigate.