TEMPE, Ariz. — Three people have been arrested in connection with a shooting at a Tempe mall in September, police said.
A shooting occurred at the Arizona Mills Mall at the food court on Sep. 13. Tempe police received multiple 911 calls that night and said no community members were hurt, but there was minor damage to the inside of the mall.
Police arrested a 16-year-old suspect, 19-year-old Gabriel Victor Garcia, and 22-year-old Marvin Hooks Jr. more than a month after the incident took place.
Court documents show that the 16-year-old suspect and Garcia shot at three people approximately six times each in the food court area. The gunfire almost hit a restaurant worker as well as a father and son in the food court, court documents said.
Surveillance footage obtained shows the 16-year-old and Garcia followed the victims into the food court and the 16-year-old confronted them while the victims were in line for food.
The 16-year-old used a handgun to shoot the victims and then Garcia pulled a "rifle-style firearm" from his pants and began firing at the victims as well. court documents reveal. Garcia then fled the food court.
Police used various means of investigative follow-up, including social media warrants and interviews, according to court documents, to identify the 16-year-old and Garcia.
In a post-Miranda interview, the 16-year-old told police he originally thought he would go up and fight the victims or "pistol whip them," but decided to shoot instead.
The 16-year-old told police he saw some of the victims flash guns at him as he walked through the mall, and told police the victims had previously shot him before. He could not tell the police which person in the group had shot at him previously because at least seven people were in the group together.
He also alleged that the victims had previously "shot up" his friend's house, who was determined to be Hooks. This information was corroborated by a Phoenix Police report from May of 2024, court documents show.
While the 16-year-old told police the victims had gestured for him to come over and they pulled out their own firearms, police said another statement the 16-year-old provided indicated that the victims did not know he was walking up to them.
The 16-year-old said Garcia had a "feud" with the victims.
In a post-Miranda interview, Garcia said the 16-year-old suspect called him from the mall and when he got there, one of the victims grabbed his backpack just before the shooting occurred.
Garcia told police that after the shooting, "he broke down the rifle and gave it away to someone in Phoenix," and that he "realized this action was stupid," according to court documents.
Police were able to identify Hooks Jr. from surveillance footage, and they used social media warrants to reveal messages between the victim and an account that featured photos of Hooks Jr.
In the messages, the account with photos of Hooks Jr. states:
"Next time I ain't gone miss."
In a post-Miranda interview, Hooks Jr. originally claimed he did not know who the shooters were, but then admitted that the 16-year-old suspect and Garcia were the shooters.
Hooks Jr. expressed his anger for his mom's house being shot at and told police he had wanted to retaliate but "knew he couldn't because he is on probation."
He also confirmed the Instagram account police found was his. He also provided a contradictory statement to police saying that he did see the victims at the mall prior to the shooting and that he had planned to "try to fight them."
The 16-year-old suspect was arrested and is facing charges including:
- Four counts of Aggravated Assault, a class 3 felony
- Two counts of Endangerment, a class 6 felony
- One count of Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm, a class 6 felony
- One count of Disorderly Conduct, a class 6 felony
- One count of Minor in Possession of a Firearm, a class 6 felony
Garcia was arrested and is facing charges including:
- Four counts of Aggravated Assault, a class 3 felony
- One count of Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm, a class 6 felony
- Two counts of Endangerment, a class 6 felony
- One count of Disorderly Conduct, a class 6 felony
Hooks was arrested and is facing charges including:
- 1 count Conspiracy, a class 3 felony
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