Suspects arrested in Yuma shooting that left 2 dead
Two teenagers have been taken into custody after seven teenagers were shot, including two who died, at a house party on Saturday night in Yuma.
On Tuesday, Yuma police announced that detectives served a search warrant at a residence in reference to the shooting. Police said additional evidence led to the arrest of 18-year-old Jose Lopez for first degree murder and disorderly conduct with a weapon. Aden Arviso, 19, was also taken into custody for false reporting and disorderly conduct with a weapon.
Yuma police officers responded to reports of shots fired just before 11 p.m. on Saturday in a residential area near West Southern Avenue and South Priest Drive. When they arrived, they found several people with gunshot wounds, police said.
Two men, later identified as Andre Blackthunder, 20, and Danny Garcia, 19, were transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center before police arrival, according to police. They were later pronounced dead.
One 16-year-old boy suffered life-threatening injuries and was transported to YRMC. Four other teenagers were hospitalized with injuries that were not life-threatening. Their ages are 15, 16, 18 and 19.
Two victims were flown to a Phoenix-area hospital and are listed in stable condition. Three victims were treated at YRMC and released. Victims were transported to the hospital by both ambulance and private vehicles, according to Yuma authorities.
According to Yuma police, the homeowners of the residence were not home at the time of the party but have cooperated with authorities.
The Yuma Police Department said a total of 30 rounds were fired at the party and that the perpetrators and victims knew one another. Several off-duty officers assisted in responding to the shooting, including an California Highway patrol officer, a Yuma police detective, two Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents as well as the wife of one of those agents, who is a nurse.
The weapons at the scene were found and will undergo forensics testing. Police are still investigatingwhat led up to the shooting.
“This does not appear to be a random act,” a Yuma Police Department news release stated.
The release stated that detectives have investigative leads but did not specify further.
The investigation remains ongoing, police said.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suspects arrested in Yuma shooting that left 2 dead
