PHOENIX — A 36-year-old man was found dead by firefighters who were responding to a fire in central Phoenix Wednesday morning, according to the Phoenix Police Department.
At about 9 a.m., firefighters were dispatched to reports of a fire near 17th and Grand avenues in Phoenix. After the fire was extinguished, Gabriel Trejo's body was found nearby with obvious signs of trauma.
Trejo had multiple stab wounds, officials said. After a short investigation, homicide detectives identified Alexander Martin Roman Reyes, 25, as a suspect and he was arrested nearby, officials said.
Reyes refused to speak about the homicide and was booked into jail on one count of murder, officials said.
The investigation is ongoing.
UP TO SPEED
Catch up on the latest news and stories on the 12News YouTube channel. Subscribe today.
What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
