BUCKEYE, AZ — A man was arrested on a second-degree murder charge after the death of his pregnant girlfriend in Buckeye early Tuesday morning.
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office deputies were called to the area of Jackrabbit Trail and Yuma Road around 1 a.m. Tuesday where a woman was found unresponsive on the side of the road.
The woman had been shot once and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to court documents.
While deputies were investigating, a woman arrived at the scene and said her son called her to say he was involved in a crash with his girlfriend in the same area.
Police documents say Johari Duane Baker, 24, later arrived at a police station with his mother and said he had been in a physical fight with his girlfriend, who was several months pregnant with his child.
During the altercation, Baker said they struggled with his gun and he discharged it, shooting his girlfriend.
Officials say Baker left the scene and went to his parents’ house nearby.
Baker was previously arrested for domestic violence involving the same victim, documents say.
MCSO has not publicly identified the victim or released further information about the shooting.
Editor's note: MCSO had previously posted the wrong person's mugshot under the suspect's name for this case. Our article has since been updated with the correct mugshot.
