GUADALUPE, AZ — Maricopa County Sheriff’s officials say a man is in custody after a deadly shooting during a birthday barbeque in Guadalupe.
The suspect was reportedly hoping to hurt as many people as possible.
MCSO says the suspect, 20-year-old Phillip Valencia, opened fire on a group of people around 5:30 p.m. Sunday near Calle Sahuaro and Barbarita Street.
The woman is now in stable condition, however, her boyfriend was shot five times in the torso and later died from his injuries.
Valencia then reportedly went after his step-father who wrestled the gun away, but Valencia retained the weapon and tried to fire more shots before fleeing the scene.
Valencia fled to his home where his family found him and held him down until Tempe police officers arrived. He was taken into custody without incident.
Valencia reportedly told detectives that he resented his stepfather since he re-married.
He came to the party and sat in his truck for about 10 minutes deciding what he was going to do.
MCSO says he wanted to shoot all of his bullets and kill as many people as possible.
Witnesses allegedly told MCSO that the number of shots were “too many to count.”
Investigators say they found 11 shell casings from a 9 mm at the scene.
Valencia is being held on a $1,000,000 cash bond for first-degree murder.
Another shooting at a Guadalupe tire shop occurred a short time later, but officials determined the two scenes were not connected.
