PHOENIX — The Phoenix Police Department has arrested a man in connection with a fatal shooting near 37th and Missouri avenues that happened late January. The status of the second suspect is unknown.
Police were called to the area around 2:15 p.m. on Jan. 27 and found 33-year-old Alexis Villegas with multiple gunshot wounds. Villegas was taken to a local hospital, later dying of his injuries.
Homicide detectives learned that Villegas was in a fight with multiple other men, during which he was shot multiple times. Two men were initially wanted in connection with the shooting.
On Mar. 3, police arrested 26-year-old Alexander Medina in connection with the shooting. Medina has since been booked into Maricopa County Jail.
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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.