SALT RIVER INDIAN COMMUNITY, AZ — A man has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2019 shooting death of a taxi driver outside of Casino Arizona.
On Aug. 21, 2019, officers were called to Casino Arizona, located on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, near Loop 101 and McKellips Road for a shooting.
Hilario Mendoza, a taxi driver, was shot and killed in the parking lot by a man later identified as Gabriel Milford Kavoka.
Kavoka then stole Mendoza's taxi vehicle and led police on a pursuit. Kavoka eventually crashed the taxi into a police vehicle and was taken into custody.
According to court documents, Kavoka already had a criminal history, including assault and weapons charges. Online records show Kavoka was released from the Bureau of Prisons in November 2018, less than a year before the shooting outside the casino.
Kavoka pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and carjacking resulting in death. He was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday.
