A tragic turn of events has left a community in mourning after a delivery driver was killed during a suspect's desperate bid to evade law enforcement. Sarah Bingham, 21, a Kingman resident, lost her life when her vehicle was struck amid a chase involving officers from the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) on Jan. 26. The suspect, identified as 44-year-old Juan Javier Ortiz, is now facing multiple felony charges, including first-degree murder, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix.
The sequence of harrowing events began when DPS detectives, part of the State Gang Task Force, attempted to engage Ortiz. Detectives approached his vehicle, which he used to ram two detective vehicles before a trooper-involved shooting occurred. Ortiz managed to initially escape the scene, only to be later involved in the deadly collision with Bingham, according to a statement obtained by FOX 10 Phoenix. He sustained minor injuries and was apprehended before being booked into Mohave County Jail.
Bingham was reportedly delivering pizzas and was in communication with her fiancée at the time of the incident. "She was the life of the family, really. The light of our family," Bingham's aunt, Sandy Brewer, told FOX 10 Phoenix in an emotional tribute.
While DPS officials confirmed that no law enforcement personnel were injured during the events, the community has been left to wrestle with the senseless loss of a life cut tragically short. As the DPS' Major Incident Division continues to thoroughly investigate, the bereaved family gathered recently, seeking solace in a vigil to honor Bingham and to support each other, as they strive to cope with a future abruptly stolen.
