PHOENIX — A violent weekend in the Valley left six people, including a 15-year-old boy, dead and local authorities say that number is significant.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office typically receives submittals from law enforcement on Tuesdays for two to three homicides to review for charges that occur over the weekend.
This past weekend, however, the office received a record high for 2022 with six homicide incidents.
“These are six families who are grieving, six loved ones who were unexpectedly taken, and every case has a different set of facts and evidence that must be reviewed by our office,” said County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “A victim in one of these homicides is a 15-year-old teenager.”
On Sunday, a 15-year-old boy, a student at Marcos De Niza High School, was fatally shot near Avenida del Yaqui and Calle Magdalena in Guadalupe.
County Attorney Rachel Mitchell says the six homicides from this past weekend are about half of a caseload for a single prosecutor.
She says to have six homicides in a single weekend is a significant number for her office and the community.
According to information from the FBI, violent crime across the country increased by 5.6% between 2019 and 2020. New numbers are expected to be released later this year.
The following is a list of homicide cases expected to be submitted to our office by law enforcement for review:
- August 12, 2022 stabbing in Mesa
- August 12, 2022 vehicle crime in Mesa
- August 13, 2022 stabbing in Phoenix
- August 13, 2022 stabbing in Mesa
- August 14, 2022 shooting in Phoenix
- August 14, 2022 shooting in Guadalupe *victim is a minor
This week at Marcos De Niza Students were greeted outside the school Tuesday with metal detector wands that checked for weapons.
"It's just another precaution with all that's going on in our society today, that school can be a safe place." said Sean McDonald, the Assistant Superintendent for Tempe Union HS District.
Overnight Monday, 15-year-old Marcos De Niza student, Elias Longoria, was shot and killed near his Guadalupe home - three miles from campus.
Tempe Police believe the boy's murder was gang-related.
The teen's mother, Blanca Longoria, told ABC15 she believes her son was killed in connection to a fight at the school the week prior.
"My son got suspended for it wasn't that enough," said Longoria.
"Our number one priority is to keep a safe and friendly environment at all times," said McDonald, who is a former principal at both Marcos De Niza and Compadre Academy. "We don’t know what they will bring to our campus...So today we wanted to make sure that we were checking backpacks [and] we’re going to do that as long as we need to and reevaluate on a weekly basis."
A spokesperson for MCSO told ABC15 Tuesday afternoon they have no information to share regarding suspect information or an arrest in the teen's murder.
