QUEEN CREEK, Ariz — Queen Creek police are investigating a Halloween Party that led to the death of a teenage boy.
Family said Lord suffered a traumatic brain injury. He died in the hospital on Sunday.
Chief Randy Brice said this is now a homicide investigation and they're looking into anyone who could have been involved, including people who hosted or attended the party.
“We want to remember that (Lord) is at the focus of this investigation," Brice said.
Brice said officers first responded to a non-emergency call about teens walking through a neighborhood near Via Del Oro and 194th Street around 9 p.m. on Saturday.
Neighbors told 12News they had seen teens walking around with open alcohol containers.
Brice said officers did not.
“They did see people walking down the street, which again, is not illegal in and of itself. They saw legally parked cars, but did not observe any criminal activity and were then diverted to another priority call," Brice said.
About 40 minutes later, police received a 911 call reporting an assault. First responders arrived to find Lord unresponsive in the street.
Lord was given lifesaving measures and taken to the hospital.
Neighbors reported calling 911 several times to report drunk teens running through the neighborhood.
Police Commander Mark Newman said officers were already on scene by the time those calls came in.
“Several additional calls regarding this neighborhood did come in after our officers arrived on scene to investigate the assault," Newman said.
Police said there were between 100-200 teens at the party as it was breaking up.
Brice said there were adults at home during the party.
Investigators are encouraging witnesses of the assault to come forward.
“If you’re a witness or you're involved directly, we encourage you to do the right thing and come to us and talk to us about what you’ve seen or what occurred or what you’re involved in," Brice said.
Police are asking people to bring tips and information directly to investigators rather than posting on social media.
The Chief said posts can jeopardize their investigation and lead to misidentification or targeting of people who may not have been involved.
Eye witnesses or people with pictures and videos of the assault are asked to call the Queen Creek Police non-emergency line at 480-358-3500.
All other tips can be emailed to QCPDInvestigators@QueenCreek.gov or by calling 480-358-3575. Reference case number 2023-26401.
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