Man suspected of fatally shooting teen during party in Mesa
A man has been jailed on suspicion of fatally shooting a teen during a party earlier this month in Mesa.
Joe Jetha Rim, 20, of Gilbert, is charged with second-degree murder in the Nov. 6 death of Stephen Jacobo, 18, according to court documents. Rim was booked into jail on a $1 million bond, police said.
As of Friday evening, Rim remained in jail custody, jail records show.
Police said officers found Jacobo dead with a gunshot wound after they were dispatched just after 5 a.m. to an apartment on West Emelita Avenue near South Longmore Street.
A witness said Jacobo was shot after approaching Rim about the handgun he had on his waistband during a party attended by about 10 people, according to court documents. Rim told Jacobo he was in his personal space and waved the firearm around, the witness said, charging documents detailed.
Jacobo attempted to calm Rim down as a third male tried to separate the two, the witness said, according to court documents.
"You wanna see what I got," the witness said Rim told Jacobo before firing his gun, court documents state.
A second witness called 911 after discovering Jacobo wounded after hearing the gunshot from the apartment bathroom, according to court documents.
Police could see black markings surrounding Jacobo's gunshot wound near his neck, and the medical examiner said soot found there indicated the firearm was in partial contact with the victim's neck, according to court records.
Though Rim fled, he was named by one witness and police found him through DMV photos with both witnesses identifying him in a photo lineup, according to charging documents. The firearm Rim is suspected to have used is a 10 mm handgun, court records stated.
Officers located Rim in a car on Thursday afternoon at Interstate 10 and Wildhorse Pass, pulled him over and arrested him without incident, police said.
According to court records, Rim has been previously convicted for aggravated assault, aggravated assault on law enforcement, assault, aggravated robbery, theft, criminal damage and disorderly conduct.
Reach breaking news reporter Jose R. Gonzalez at jose.gonzalez@gannett.com or on Twitter @jrgzztx.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man suspected of fatally shooting teen during party in Mesa
