A Phoenix teenager is facing serious charges after his decision to pull the trigger took a woman’s life, according to police
A light shining through a door near 48th Street and Van Buren is a chilling reminder of the innocent life that was taken.
"She was someone's mother, someone's sister. She had nothing to do with the whole situation,” witness Mainiesha Crawley said.
The situation Crawley referred to had been escalating over the last few months between the alleged shooter, 17-year-old Michael Aro, and a man who lives inside the home that now garners a bullet hole. The two men had been having problems and it all came to a climax last week when Aro showed up with a rifle.
"She says, ‘Oh my God,’ then runs inside," Crawley said.
The victim, Shelonda McKinley, was sitting outside when the shooting happened. She quickly closed the door, but didn’t get out of the way fast enough. Police said Aro pulled the trigger and a bullet went through the door, hitting and killing the victim.
"Her body was lying right here, and the bullet was on her left side. And then it went through her and it also went into the water heater," Crawley said.
Police said Aro took off, leaving McKinley to die. One day later, he was arrested by officers. He is being charged as an adult for negligent homicide.
