Phoenix area families grappling with deadly weekend of violence
Phoenix families deal with violent weekend
Over the weekend, four teenagers were killed in separate shootings across the Phoenix area, and a mother whose son was murdered said things need to change. FOX 10's Steve Nielsen reports.
PHOENIX - A string of shootings from May 13 to May 14 has rocked Arizona, and while the violent weekend is over, family and friends are still dealing with the aftermath of the shootings, which left a number of teens dead.
One of the shootings, which happened on the night of May 12 in an area north of Union Hills Drive and 16th Street, took the left of a 17-year-old boy. The boy has been identified by police as Hery Almeida-Garcia. The suspect, in the case, according to investigators, ran off.
The shooting that killed Almeida-Garcia was followed by a shooting that happened just before midnight on May 13, in the area of 39th Avenue and McDowell Road. The teen victim in the shooting, according to police, died at the hospital.
Just after midnight on May 14, officers were called to 91st Avenue and Toronto Way, where a girl was shot and killed. Police say the girl, identified as 17-year-old Desiree Rivas, may have been leaving a house party when the shooting happened.
"It really hurt me to know that something like happened so close to my home," said a person living in the area where Rivas was killed. That person did not want to be identified. "We couldn’t sleep at all last night."
At around 7:30 a.m. on May 14, officers were called to the area of 83rd Avenue and Osborn Road, where a 19-year-old identified as Rodolfo Gonzalez as shot. Gonzalez was declared dead at the scene.
No arrests have been made in the four cases listed above.
"It’s horrendous. It’s unbelievable. It’s unbelievable," said Cynthia Lazaro.
Lazaro started the Damion Gosa Memorial Foundation, after her son was murdered 14 years ago.
"I feel for those parents. I've been there, I feel for them, and it absolutely hurts to the core," said Lazaro.
Lazaro is currently working to inspire positive change in the community, and hopefully prevent violence. She said everyone needs to chip in to save lives.
"The environment has to change totally," said Lazaro. "You have to get them out of that environment, because it will suck them in."