Man killed at Phoenix gas station after celebrating 22nd birthday, family says
Phoenix gas station shooting: 21-year-old arrested after man killed following birthday party
22-year-old Julio Angel Osife Diaz was shot to death at a Phoenix Arco gas station after celebrating his 22nd birthday. FOX 10's Andrew Christiansen learns more about the arrest made, and what the victim's family is saying.
PHOENIX - The family of a 22-year-old man says after celebrating his birthday, he was shot to death by someone he did not know at a Phoenix gas station.
What we know:
Julio Angel Osife Diaz died just a few hours after leaving his birthday party. His family says he was on his way to his uncle's house when he stopped at the Arco gas station on 16th Street and Thomas Road in Phoenix where he was shot and killed while defending his girlfriend. The family says his girlfriend shielded him, but the suspect continued firing shots.
Phoenix Police say the shooting happened on July 18 around 2 a.m. Osife Diaz was arguing with another man before it escalated to the shooting, but a family member who was with him that night says Osife Diaz was not the instigator.
Osife Diaz suffered at least one gunshot wound and was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. Police say the two did not know each other.
Dig deeper:
Officers detained the suspect, 21-year-old Jaheime Rashard Brown.
The firearm used was recovered from the scene of the shooting.
What they're saying:
"He would never cause harm onto anybody. He was just starting his life. He comes from a huge family of support. He was just trying to make his way home," said Bianca Bilasto, Osife Diaz's mother.
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Phoenix gas station spat between strangers turns deadly, 21-year-old arrested for murder
A 22-year-old man is dead after an argument with a stranger escalated into a shooting at a gas station near 16th Street and Thomas Road.
What you can do:
The family held a car wash fundraiser on July 25 and is holding another one at the Zona Smoke Shop on Central Avenue and Buckeye Road from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 26.
The family has set up a GoFundMe.
What's next:
Brown is facing a charge of second-degree murder and is being held on a $1 million bond.
Map of where the shooting occurred.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from the family of Julio Angel Osife Diaz, Julio Angel Osife Diaz's mother Bianca Bilasto, Phoenix Police, and Phoenix Fire.