GUADALUPE, AZ — An arrest has been made in the shooting death of a 15-year-old boy in Guadalupe.
On August 15, Elias Longoria was walking in the area of Calle Batoua and Calle Biehn when he was shot and killed.
During the investigation, witnesses who were with the teen told police they heard a single gunshot and started running. About five seconds later they heard about 15-20 rapid gunshots and saw a flashing coming from a residence next to a tire shop on Avenida Del Yaqui and Calle Magdalena, according to court records.
During the shooting, Longoria was struck in the head and later pronounced dead by emergency crews.
Detectives later went to the residence where witnesses said they saw gunfire coming from. While there, a resident told detectives he was present when the shooting happened and identified the alleged shooter as his friend, a 23-year-old man.
The witness said he was in the front yard with four others when the 23-year-old started firing a gun. The witness said immediately after the shooting, he grabbed the gun from his friend. He said it was then wrapped in a shirt and placed on a table under the carport of the property.
Detectives obtained a search warrant to look for the weapon at the residence and found a 9mm brown firearm where the witness said it was placed.
The 23-year-old man was later located and taken to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Durango Street Jail for questioning.
During an interview with detectives, the suspect admitted he was in the front yard of his friend's home when the shooting occurred.
He stated that he heard gunshots coming from the area near the roadway where the victim and his friends were walking. He told detectives that he feared for his life and started shooting in their direction.
The suspect said he did not see anyone in the area but shot in that direction because he believed that's where the initial shots were being fired from.
He stated he did not know what happened to the gun immediately after the shooting but described it as a bronze and black 9mm.
Scientific analysis later confirmed that the gun found at the residence was the same gun used in the shooting death of Longoria, police say.
Due to the suspect admitting to recklessly firing a gun and causing a death, he was arrested on September 20 and is facing charges of second-degree murder.
Police did not confirm whether there were any initial shots fired in the suspect's direction.
