Three separate shootings in Phoenix on Friday night and early Saturday morning left Phoenix police and loved ones searching for answers.
A mass shooting at 10th Avenue and Hatcher Road left one 14-year-old girl dead and eight others injured. In other incidents, two separate victims were shot and were later pronounced dead. Police found both victims with gunshot wounds, one a teenage boy near 13th and Vogel avenues and the other a man in a vehicle near 39th and Grand avenues.
The deadly evening comes a little more than a week since an 18-year-old gunman in Uvalde, Texas, killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. The shooting spurred another national conversation about gun laws.
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Meagan Orantes and her 14-year old daughter, Daniella Franco, showed up to the scene of the shooting at 10th Avenue and Hatcher Road. A friend had called Franco and said her close friend had been shot in the area. Franco wanted answers.
“He was like a brother to me. We always called each other brother and sister,” Daniella said, tearing up. “I want them to try to find the people for my brother and (my friend) because there’s a lot of shootings going on. I just want them to catch the people.”
Orantes said her son, Franco’s biological older brother, was killed at a house party in 2020 when he was 19 years old. She called for commonsense gun laws.
“I want our senators and our governor and everybody else that’s high up to realize how easy it is to get a gun and to get these guns out of the hands,” Orantes said. “There’s so many things you can do. You can’t make it never happen again, but you can try your best for it not to happen.”
The Arizona Republic could not confirm if Franco’s friend was one of those shot in the shooting on 10th Avenue or another shooting nearby. Police have yet to release identities of those injured and killed.
9 shot on 10th Avenue; 1 dead
Nine people were shot in the mass shooting on 10th Avenue and at least one is dead after an altercation between multiple parties in north Phoenix escalated early Saturday morning, according to police.
The shooting took place at a strip mall at about 1 am at 10th Avenue and Hatcher Road, both inside the building and in the nearby parking lot and roadway area.
Police have not released details on what led to the shooting.
One girl died after being transported to the hospital. Another woman, five men and a teenage boy face life-threatening injuries. Police said two of the injured victims were in critical condition.
Victims were born between 1998 and 2004, according to police.
Police have not yet released information on the suspect or rounds of ammunition. In a press conference this morning, Sergeant Andy Williams said all the evidence indicates the suspect used a handgun.
Detectives are urging anyone with information about the shooting to call law enforcement.
“There were many people present at the time of the shooting, and we (are) hopeful someone captured cellphone video or saw or heard something that could be helpful to the case,” said Sgt. Andy Williams, a public information officer with the Phoenix Police Department.
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Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said that “change must happen now” in a tweet referring to the shootings.
“Time has run out,” Gallego said. “Change must happen now.”
Several police cars, detectives and crime scene technicians were at the scene, a strip mall with several car repair shops, a hair salon and a tobacco shop nearby.
Officials announced before 9 am on Saturday that Hatcher Road will be closed from 12th Avenue to Seventh Avenue while detectives process the area and look for witnesses and evidence.
Teen found near 13th and Vogel avenues
A teenage boy is dead after he was found with gunshot wounds near a roadway in the area of 13th and Vogel avenues on Friday night.
Officers responded to the scene just before midnight where they found the teenage boy who had “apparently been shot” near the roadway.
The boy was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
According to the Phoenix Police Department, officers learned the victim went outside his home immediately prior to the shooting.
Man in car shot near 39th and Grand avenues
The Phoenix Police Department said a man is dead after he was found in a car with gunshot wounds in the area of 39th and Grand avenues on Friday night.
Officers responded to a “shooting call” at 10:30 pm where they found a man who had “apparently been shot.”
The Phoenix Fire Department responded and pronounced the victim dead at the scene.
The victim has not yet been identified.
This is a continuing story; please check back with azcentral for updates.