A Phoenix man who opened fire on a construction crew at an apartment complex in 2022 — killing one worker and terrorizing residents — has been sentenced to 45 years in prison, prosecutors announced Friday.
Zachery Shropshire was handed the lengthy sentence following his conviction on multiple felony counts stemming from the March 10, 2022, shooting, which authorities described as a sudden and unprovoked attack. According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Shropshire emerged from his apartment armed with a high-powered rifle and a .45-caliber handgun and began firing at workers on site.
One of the victims, construction worker Alvaro Quezada, was shot in the leg as he attempted to escape. Prosecutors said that injury prevented him from getting away, and Shropshire then fired several additional rounds, killing him. Seven other people — including workers and nearby residents — survived the attack. One person was wounded while trying to help Quezada, and another was injured by shrapnel.
“This was a senseless attack on innocent people who were simply trying to do their jobs,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement following the sentencing.
Investigators said Shropshire fired roughly two dozen rounds before fleeing the scene in his vehicle. About a mile away, he crashed into a parked car and ran, but officers later located him hiding in an alley nearby.
In October, a jury found Shropshire guilty of second-degree murder, seven counts of aggravated assault, two counts of disorderly conduct and one count of leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage. Mitchell said the sentence ensures accountability, even as it cannot undo the trauma suffered by survivors or the loss endured by Quezada’s family.
More information about the case and sentencing was released by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, which continues to handle prosecution of major violent crimes across the county through its official updates at the county’s justice portal.
