A month-long murder investigation in Phoenix has culminated in the arrest of six individuals, authorities announced Friday, after a young man was fatally shot in broad daylight near a busy west-side intersection.
Jabes Gurrola, 19, was killed on the afternoon of February 8th in the area of 35th Avenue and Indian School Road. The circumstances surrounding his death suggested to investigators that the shooting was not random — the charges of robbery and kidnapping filed alongside the murder counts point to a crime that was planned and coordinated.
The first arrest came within days of the killing. Eighteen-year-old Aarion Sherraud January was taken into custody on February 15th after detectives linked him to the shooting. The case didn’t stop there, however. Over the following weeks, investigators identified five additional suspects, leading to a second wave of arrests on March 4th.
Among those picked up in the follow-up sweep were Junior Raybourn, 25, Nicholas Estrada, 44, and William Salas-Mares, 19 — along with two juvenile males whose names have not been released. All four adult suspects were booked into Maricopa County jail on charges of first-degree murder, robbery and kidnapping, with bonds set at $1 million each. The two minors were referred to juvenile court.
The wide age range of those charged — from teenagers to a 44-year-old — suggests a network of individuals connected to the crime rather than a spontaneous act of violence. Phoenix police have not publicly detailed what role each suspect allegedly played, and the investigation remains ongoing.
