West Phoenix Ethiopian restaurant argument escalates into double shooting
Phoenix police officers secure the scene outside Addis Ababa Restaurant and near 35th Avenue and Bethany Home Road following a shooting Sunday morning. (FOX 10)
PHOENIX - Two men were rushed to the hospital Sunday morning after an argument inside a west Phoenix Ethiopian restaurant erupted into gunfire, triggering a police helicopter pursuit that ended with officers detaining multiple suspects fleeing the scene.
What we know:
Phoenix police officers responded around 8:15 a.m. on Oct. 4 to reports of a shooting near 35th Avenue and Bethany Home Road at Addis Ababa Restaurant and Café. Investigators quickly learned that a dispute inside the venue escalated into violent chaos, leaving two men wounded as a suspect vehicle sped away.
The Phoenix Police Air Unit tracked the getaway vehicle from above, guiding officers on the ground directly to the car where they detained the occupants inside. Both victims were transported to a local hospital for emergency medical treatment.
Heartbroken relatives—the victim's father (left) and brother—recount the moments their loved one was shot twice during a morning dispute at a west Phoenix eatery. (FOX 10)
‘I want my boy to be all right’
What they're saying:
Family members gathered near the scene were left waiting anxiously for updates on their loved one's condition. Von Wilson, whose brother was shot during the incident, said what started as a relaxing morning at the restaurant turned tragic in an instant. "We just came to the club … Me and my brother was just chilling, everybody was vibing," Wilson recalled, explaining that his brother got involved in an argument that escalated until "it ended up with him getting shot two times in the back."
Witnesses described a scene of sudden panic inside the building as a minor disagreement in the back spilled toward the front entrance before shots echoed through the venue. The victim's father, who also rushed to the scene, spoke through tears about his son being shot alongside a second victim who was struck in the leg. "They already got caught already by the police... That's good," the father told FOX 10 upon learning officers had intercepted the fleeing vehicle. "I don't know what to say, but I want my boy to be all right. That's it. That's all I want."
Officers speak with witnesses behind crime scene tape near the site of the shooting. (FOX 10)
What we don't know:
The current medical status of the two victims, the identities of the detained suspects and the exact cause of the argument remain unknown as police continue their investigation.
Map of where the Sunday morning shooting occurred:
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Phoenix Police Department Sergeant Chris Berrelleza, and interviews with Von Wilson, a brother of one of the victims, and the father of one of the victims.