PHOENIX — Phoenix police say an 8-year-old girl has died and a man has been arrested, facing first-degree murder charges, after a road rage shooting in north Phoenix.
The incident happened around 11 a.m. Thursday near 16th Street and Greenway Parkway.
Phoenix police say there was an argument between people inside two separate vehicles.
The driver of one of the vehicles had just picked up his daughters from school. The girls were in the backseat while his wife was in the front passenger seat, according to court documents.
While driving, another motorist became upset, claiming the other driver turned in front of them at a four-way stop. People from both vehicles exchanged words and continued driving. A short time later, both vehicles came to another stop and an argument continued, police said.
During the argument, two men got into a physical fight after exiting their vehicles. One of the men stabbed the other several times and then drove away.
The man who was stabbed grabbed a gun and fired at the vehicle as it was driving away, police said.
One of the bullets hit an 8-year-old girl who was sitting in the backseat. She was taken to a hospital in critical, but stable condition, where she later died.
The girl was sitting in the center backseat with her sisters, according to court documents. Nobody else inside that vehicle was struck by gunfire.
Police announced Tuesday they arrested one of the men involved in the incident on multiple charges, including first-degree murder of the child.
The man who was stabbed and then fired the gun was taken to a hospital in critical condition, police announced.
The driver of the vehicle that was shot at suffered minor injuries during the physical altercation.
ABC15 spoke with the 8-year-old's family who has identified the girl as Cassidy Moreno.
“She was the kindest, funniest, goofiest little girl that you could ever meet,” said Cassidy’s aunt Joanna Vargas.
Family said Cassidy was a typical little girl who loved music and TV and was always making people laugh.
“My niece Chloe told me this went from being the best day of my life to the worst day of my life,” said Vargas.
Aunts say Cassidy's sisters "saw her closing her eyes...they expected the worst from the beginning."
“Her sisters wanted for her to be known by her name,” said another aunt, Thali. “Her sisters wanted her to be remembered by her name.”
“Not 'the 8-year-old victim,'” said Joanna.
A memorial now sits near where the family car stopped that day, and the two aunts created a fundraiser to help Cassidy’s family.
