Authorities have indicated that the passing of a teenage boy, who was attacked at a Halloween party on Saturday night in Queen Creek, is being investigated as a homicide.
On Monday, Preston Lord, a pupil from Combs High School, was taken to hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. This GoFundMe page has been set up in his memory.
At a press conference on Wednesday, representatives from the Queen Creek Police Department addressed two speculations. They clarified that there were no officers present at the event and that no law enforcement personnel responded to the gathering until after the assault had taken place.
The Queen Creek Police Department addressed a rumor that many calls had been made and there was no response. They stated that only one non-emergency call had arrived concerning the neighborhood and one about the assault. Nevertheless, after the officers showed up to inspect the assault, several more calls were received, according to the officials.
At 9:07 p.m. on Saturday, the police received a non-emergency call regarding a juvenile disturbance near Via del Orogo and 194th Street. Officers were soon diverted to another call about domestic violence. At 9:49 p.m., a separate call about Lord’s assault was made from the same area, and the authorities discovered him in the road. QCPD confirmed these events on Wednesday.
Witnesses reported that between one hundred and two hundred people were present at the gathering, as well as adults overseeing the event, according to authorities.
Chief Randy Brice of Queen Creek Police Department has called on the public to provide tips directly to the department rather than using social media.
At the press conference, Brice emphasized that it would be best to communicate with them through the means they have specified, rather than to post information online and assume that it will be easily found.
By Wednesday at 12PM, the QCPD reported that they had been given 76 pieces of advice and were in the process of assessing each one.
Brice warns the public to abstain from posting on social media in a way that could lead to wrongfully singling out individuals in the community who were not involved with the event.
QCPD asks that anyone with relevant information regarding the incident to contact them either by sending an email to [email protected] or by phoning 480-358-3500.
