EL MIRAGE, AZ — Detectives from the El Mirage Police Department and the Surprise Police Department worked together to investigate multiple shootings around the Valley that led to the arrests of two teenagers.
Police say there were four shootings that took place in a span of a month.
According to a press release, El Mirage officers responded to the 12000 block of Rosewood Drive on January 23, 2020, in response to reported gunfire. Authorities say officers contacted a homeowner whose home had been shot nine times.
El Mirage officers also responded to a shooting on February 8, 2020, on the same block for reports of gunfire. Officers found shell casings, but no one that was shot or any property damage this time around.
When investigating, officers analyzed the shell casings that "tied them to a shooting in Surprise" which occurred January 6, 2020, and another shooting at the 1800 block of North 16th Avenue in Phoenix on February 8, 2020.
"During all four shootings, a blue pickup truck, thought to be a Chevrolet, was reported leaving the scenes. Surprise detectives obtained video surveillance from a home that captured the shooting on January 6, 2020, which pictured a blue Chevrolet pickup truck with a passenger's hand out of the window holding a handgun."
According to the press release, El Mirage officers on duty on February 13, 2020, noticed the truck at a business and gathered the license plate information. El Mirage and Surprise detectives investigated some more.
On February 26 and 27, El Mirage and Surprise detectives served search warrants and arrested two 15-year-old males - one as the driver and one as the shooter.
El Mirage Police Chief Paul Marzocca said, "The tireless efforts of the investigating detectives to remove these dangerous suspects from our community makes me proud and brings a sense of relief knowing that they will not jeopardize the safety of our citizens any longer. The working relationship between the El Mirage Police Department and the Surprise Police Department is a great example of teamwork and is reflective of how Valley police agencies work together."
Surprise Police Chief Terry Young said, "The Surprise and El Mirage Police Departments have an extraordinary working relationship, as displayed by this latest cooperative investigation. While there are jurisdictional boundaries between our two cities, we know that criminals pay no attention to such things. We appreciate the collaboration of those detectives and officers involved, who through their efforts have apprehended these criminals to ensure they may be held accountable for their actions.''
