GUADALUPE, Ariz. — A man in his 30s died overnight after he was shot at a family birthday barbeque Sunday evening in Guadalupe, sheriff's officials said Monday.
A spokesperson from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said suspect Phillip Valencia, 20, took a gun to his grandparents' home in Guadalupe after an argument with his girlfriend. Across the street from their Calle Guadalupe home was the barbeque party in a front yard, and Valencia began firing randomly at the attendees, MCSO says.
Paramedics took a man and a woman to the hospital in critical condition. The woman is in stable condition Monday, but the man died around 1:30 a.m., MCSO said.
Someone at the party wrestled the gun away from Valencia. When Valencia picked the gun up, MCSO says it did not fire and he ran off to his family's home. Family members held him down until authorities arrived to arrest him.
Valencia admitted in an interview to shooting the victims randomly. He faces first-degree murder and assault charges in the case.
A nearby shooting about 30 minutes after the initial shooting call was unrelated, MCSO said. That shooting was a drive-by targeting a tire shop, but nobody was injured.