June 21, 2010

PHOENIX – A parent’s worst nightmare: “Some guy called and said that my son had been shot.”

On Saturday, May 8, at about 1:30 a.m., that nightmare became a reality for one Arizona parent.

Phoenix Police Sergeant Darren Burch says Jesus Gutierrez was leaving the Déjà Vu bar, located at Bethany Home Road and 27th Avenue, at the same time as a group of four young men.

“An argument broke out, and one of the suspects held the 26-year-old victim, and the other suspect shot him,” Burch said.

Jesus’s mom, Irma, got the call and rushed to the scene to find her son lying on the floor.

“He was short of breath [and] he was trying to catch his breath,” Irma said. “I was trying to calm him down. There was another gentleman there that was holding a t-shirt on his wound, since he was bleeding badly, just pouring out of his back.”

Jesus survived but with serious internal injuries. His life has been turned upside down.

“He’s the father of two boys – a 9-year-old and a 1-year-old,” Irma said. “[He] had a good job, had his own place. He’s back home now.”

Burch said police are still searching for the four suspects.

“We have four good pictures of the four subjects that were together, and we need to identify who was the actual shooter and so forth,” Burch said. “The four suspects fled [in] two different white trucks, [with] unknown make or model.”

Irma said that despite his near-death experience, Jesus is not looking to get even.

“He’s not looking for revenge,” Irma said. “He just wants justice.”

So does Jesus’s family.

“It’s very scary to know that you were close to death, or that your child was close to death,” Irma said. “Help us find these people.”