Phoenix police looking for leads in 2016 murder, 2017 assault

This article originally appeared Jan. 30, 2017.

Just days before Christmas, life dramatically changed for a 19-year-old Phoenix man.

It was about 3:45 p.m. on Dec. 19, 2016, at Camelback Road and 40th Avenue.

“You’ve got cars driving around, you’ve got students walking from school,” Phoenix Police Sgt. Jamie Rothschild said.

A silver car with several people inside pulled up to a group of pedestrians and there was an argument.

“One of the people inside the car fired into the crowd,” Rothschild said. “Unfortunately, one of the bullets struck a young man as he was walking away.”

The victim survived and witnesses got a good description of the shooter. He’s clean shaven and in his late teens or early 20s and had a tattoo under each eye of a long teardrop or what’s supposed to look like streaming tears.

The silver four-door sedan was missing a hubcap on the passenger side.

Read more about this case here.

Next, the assault of a 73-year-old man who was just waiting for a ride.

Monday, Jan. 9, 2017, at about 2 p.m., a man was sitting in front of some apartments along 27th Avenue north of Bethany Home Road. A teenager wearing a hoodie and a backpack approached and demanded money.

“The victim refused, not wanting any confrontation and began to walk away,” Rothschild said.

That’s when the boy pushed the man so hard he fell over a bench and hit his head on a wall.

To add insult to injury, as he was laying there seriously hurt, the suspect went through the man’s pockets and took his money.

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