A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with a shooting at Desert Sky Mall that left one teenager dead and another injured, Phoenix police announced Friday.
Investigators said the suspect was involved in a verbal dispute with a group of people inside the mall before allegedly producing a handgun and opening fire. Authorities identified the teen through surveillance footage and other investigative leads before taking him into custody at his home without incident.
Because the suspect is a juvenile, his name has not been released. Police said he is being referred to the Maricopa County Juvenile Correctional Center on one count of second-degree murder and four counts of aggravated assault.
The shooting occurred Tuesday evening at Desert Sky Mall near 75th Avenue and Thomas Road. Officers responding to reports of gunfire found two teenage victims suffering from gunshot wounds.
One of the victims, 17-year-old Kevin Zamora, was transported to a hospital but later died from his injuries. A second victim, a 16-year-old boy, survived and was treated for injuries that police described as non-life-threatening.
The shooting prompted a large law enforcement response, with portions of the mall placed on lockdown and shoppers evacuated as officers searched for the suspect. Although investigators interviewed multiple witnesses at the scene, no arrest was made that night.
Police credited surveillance footage and follow-up investigative work with helping identify the suspect in the days following the shooting.
The case remains under investigation as prosecutors review the charges and determine how the juvenile proceedings will move forward.
