3 gang members sentenced for Tempe drive-by shooting that killed child

PHOENIX – Three teenagers were sentenced to prison recently for their roles in a Tempe drive-by shooting that claimed the life of a 5-year-old boy in 2023, authorities announced Monday.

Alfred Gary, Freddy Patterson and Charles Adams fired over 20 rounds into a car occupied by seven people near 48th Street and Broadway Road in March 2023, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

The defendants returned to the crime scene later and took video they used to brag to fellow gang members, prosecutors said.

The 5-year-old boy was shot in the back of the head, and a 17-year-old boy and 8-year-old girl were wounded.

What sentences were handed down for Tempe drive-by shooting?

The defendants, who prosecutors said were in a dispute with a rival gang member in the targeted car, pleaded guilty to an array of charges, including second-degree murder and drive-by shooting.

Gary, 18, was sentenced to 16 years in prison, while 18-year-old Patterson and 19-year-old Adams each received 30 years for the Tempe drive-by shooting.

In addition, Patterson and Adams were sentenced to another five years each for a separate drive-by shooting. They shot into a car occupied by a woman and her 14-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son, but nobody was injured.

“Those who act with no regard for human life have no place in our society,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a press release. “My office will continue to work with law enforcement to rid our streets of illegal gang activity and put an end to the terror it brings to our community.”

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