PHOENIX — Tears and memories were shared by loved ones for two cousins killed in a chaotic shooting.
A candlelight vigil was held by family, friends, and Phoenix police officers for Robert Puentes, 21, and Xavier Martinez, 21, who were shot and killed at a recent house party in Phoenix.
"Our whole family was just devastated," says Puentes' sister Zena Shikenjanski. "How do you lose two in one day?"
The last time she saw her brother and cousin was a few days before the shooting. They were celebrating her brother's birthday.
"Robert had just turned 21, so for the past week, they've been going out having fun," she says. "Then it just turned out to be the wrong place."
Puentes and Martinez were at a home near South Mountain when Phoenix police say several shots were fired.
Officers arrived as those shots rang out at the party, according to the department. Officers raced to the backyard, where they found three people. Puentes and Martinez were pronounced dead at the scene, the third victim was taken to the hospital.
Seeing so many people come out to the vigil helped ease some of the pain, Shikenjanski says. "It makes us proud that they made such a big impact on everybody."
Monday's candlelight vigil was not only about remembering the victims but also calling for change. There have been multiple shootings in the Valley, including the death of a 14-year-old girl in June.
Shikenjanski wants those living here to just forget about all the violence the Valley is currently going through. "I feel like that's what people need to stop doing and start thinking what we can do to help," she says.
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