GLENDALE, AZ — This episode of Arizona Crime Uncovered follows the search for answers in the 2020 shooting of Tyler Wilson. His trip to Westgate, in January of that year, to see a car show ended with him losing his life.
Five years later, Glendale police are still searching for the shooter. Detectives are appealing to the community for tips in the case.
Arizona Crime Uncovered is an ABC15 series dedicated to raising awareness for victims still waiting for justice and providing an in-depth look at ongoing cases.
Each episode breaks down the timeline of a case, its current status, and any assistance needed from the community. Learn more here.
In January 2025, police released new 911 calls and video from the night Tyler died. There is also a new $2,000 reward for information offered through Silent Witness.
ABC15 recently sat down with Tyler's mom, who is speaking out for the first time since his death. She hopes sharing more about her son and the night he was killed will lead to justice and closure for her family.
Watch part one of this Arizona Crime Uncovered episode in the player above. Catch the full episode on the ABC15 streaming app on your Roku, Fire TV Stick, or other devices starting Friday at 8:30 p.m.
REMEMBERING TYLER WILSON
Tyler Wilson was 31 years old when he was shot and killed in a Westgate parking lot in Glendale. He was just months away from turning 32. Tyler's smile is what his mom, Trish Wilson, thinks about often.
"My boy, he was very energetic," said Trish. "He loved to challenge his adrenaline, so he was kind of an adrenaline junkie. He was into motorcycles, loved car shows, loved working on cars."
She said he was laid back and enjoyed being an uncle to his sister's children. His passion was classic cars, which started with his dad.
Trish lost her husband to ALS about 13 years before losing her son. Her husband’s death hit her family hard.
"[Tyler] just struggled, I don’t think he really ever came to even accept his dad passed the way that he did," said Trish.
But his love of cars still stuck with Tyler, and it eventually became his livelihood. The night Tyler was shot, he was heading to a car show at Westgate.
"It was Wednesday night," said Trish. "It was kind of a last-minute decision. They both had to work that day but heard this was going on."
Tyler was a passenger in his friend’s car that January night. The two were trying to park when there was some kind of argument with what police have called an “impatient” driver.
"I got a call from what I thought was my son," said Trish. "And I just answered the phone. Said ‘hey babe, what's up?’ And then this stranger, I had never met, John, said, ‘this is a friend of Tyler's. And Tyler's been shot.’"
Trish searched for her son, finding him at the same hospital where one of her nieces worked.
"They wouldn't let me back to see him, and I was trying to explain to them it was a critical condition," said Trish. "And so, my niece who worked there, heard that this case had come in and what his name was. And then [she] realized that I was in the waiting room. So she was able to get me in and get me up to the floor where he was.”
Trish said, according to a nurse, she missed Tyler by just minutes as she was in that waiting room. Her son passed away at the hospital on Jan. 29, 2020. That night, the push for answers was just beginning.
SEARCH FOR THE SHOOTER
Back in 2020, ABC15 Investigator Nicole Grigg spoke with Trish's niece just weeks after the shooting.
"I'm blessed because I don’t think I would have been able to cope with his death if I hadn’t been there with him," said Tyler's cousin Amanda Kilduff.
At that time, Glendale police released a short video of a silver Chevy Cruz. But years later, the person who shot Tyler is still out there. Any kind of suspect description was extremely limited.
"It's been extremely difficult living every year, not knowing what happened," said Trish.
In January 2025, Glendale police released new 911 calls, body camera video, and video of that silver sedan.
"You guys need to be looking for a four-door Chevy Cruz," said one 911 caller. "I couldn’t get the license plate as it was pulling away. I was coming out of work."
"I really was terrified to watch it, but it's something I need to hear and see," said Trish. "And I think that's giving me more strength to definitely find out what happened."
Also seen in that body camera video was Sgt. Bryan Hoskin, who was one of the first officers on the scene the night Tyler was shot.
"Ultimately, we came around the corner [and] saw some people gathered," said Sgt. Hoskin. "We went straight over to them in the parking lot; and that's when we saw our victim, Tyler Wilson, lying in the middle of the parking lot where the cars drive. And he was in pain."
Sgt. Hoskin said they noticed the 31-year-old had been shot multiple times. Tyler's voice can be heard responding to officers as they tried to provide emergency care.
"It sounded like he was making comments that, he just, he didn't know the individual," said Sgt. Hoskin. "It was very random, a stranger at that, over a parking issue that they kind of gotten in an argument over."
What played out before Tyler was shot, police said they don't exactly know. But they were able to locate the silver sedan described by witnesses on traffic cameras. The video shows the Chevy Cruze running red lights and appearing to drive at a high rate of speed.
CALL TO THE COMMUNITY
Glendale police and Tyler’s family are appealing to the community, and Silent Witness is even offering a new reward. The hope is that it will lead to answers.
"To me, at this point, it sounds like he shot to kill," said Trish. "And I just would like to know why, why? Why? Why?"
With each passing year, the fear is that memories of what happened will fade.
"People come and go, there's a possibility this individual is no longer with us in this world," said Sgt. Hoskin. "Who knows? But you know, the longer it is to solve a case, sometimes it can be more difficult. People lose memory. They don't remember things that were told to them or remember that their friend maybe owned a silver Chevy Cruze at some point. So the sooner we can get that information, I think the more successful we can be at it."
Tyler’s mom has a Facebook page dedicated to getting answers for her son. She continues to hold on to hope that one day they will find the person who shot Tyler.
"He was a family member, and he meant a lot to us," said Trish. "And we need to find out what happened.”
"Be the one, come forward," said Sgt. Hoskin. "Do the right thing. Help this family..."
The Silent Witness reward being offered, at the time of airing, is $2,000. Tyler's mom says she plans to do everything she can to increase that.
For the Wilsons, the information is more valuable than any dollar amount. But they hope people share the video of the car and Tyler’s story so they can keep pushing for justice.
Her message to the driver:
"If he were to know that he can just confess, get it off his conscience, and deal with it," said Trish. “He's done something horrible that can't be good for anybody to carry around. So, there's a way out. Just come forward.”
