Glendale Westgate shooting: Security measures credited for fast response

GLENDALE, Ariz. - A recent shooting at a busy Glendale entertainment district on the evening of July 4 highlighted the importance of robust security on the vast property, and on July 17, we toured the Westgate Entertainment District with its security detail to examine how the response on scene was able to happen so quickly and effectively.

The backstory:

Police say a 15-year-old opened fire around 9:00 p.m. on July 4, wounding five other kids, including his 8-year-old sister. The suspect was detained on scene and now faces several charges.

Local perspective:

"The response was immediate, it really was, and it saves lives," said Gabe Pinon, director of security for Yam Properties at the Westgate Entertainment District.

Leaders with the Westgate Entertainment District and the Glendale Police Department say incidents like the Fourth of July shooting on property are immediately followed by conversations about safety and security.

"We're exchanging notes, hey what can we do better? What can we improve upon?" Glendale Police Department Gateway Patrol Commander Zane Hinde said.

Pinon added, "Once I have ascertained that there's no longer threats and everything is contained, I go to the sergeant of the entertainment squad and I say what could we have done better? And those are the tough questions that you know, you want to look inward before you start implementing things."

Dig deeper:

Many security elements have been implemented in Glendale, including hiring private security and off-duty officers, and the creation of the Glendale Police Department's Entertainment Squad in late 2023.

"It's not only good for the city, it's good for business and the patrons that come here," Glendale Police Department Westgate Entertainment Squad Officer Alfonso Trevino said.

Trevino has been part of the entertainment squad for two years and says calls for service in the district are down from when he started in the role.

"We used to get fights all the time, just a lot of juveniles that would come and also fight with each other, but now it's like most of the time when we come out here it's kind of slowed down," Trevino said.

By the numbers:

Data supports his point. From 2024 to 2025, there has been a decrease between 10% and 19% for crimes like aggravated assaults, criminal damage, and burglaries.

Access to the police department's Real Time Crime Center was also a huge help during incidents like the recent shooting.

"It's very common for witnesses to have different accounts, different descriptions of people, but with an officer watching from the Real Time Crime Center, they're able to help us sort through all that," Hinde said. "What ends up happening is they can direct the officers on the ground to stop people, interview people."

Trevino said, "There's also new applications that let us listen to the calls as well so our response times are a lot quicker and we kind of get eyes on the suspect really fast so sometimes eyes in the sky are very helpful."

The partnership was on full display during the recent shooting.

"Those officers were able to respond, they were able to render aid, they were able to secure the scene, detain people involved, and all that before the initial 911 calls from other patrons were even processed through our dispatch center and dispatched out to officers," Hinde said.

What's next:

Pinon and Hinde say the plan is to continue adding officers and other security measures as the area continues to grow in the future with the eventual addition of the VAI Resort and other commercial properties.