A recent outbreak of gun violence in west Phoenix has left a neighborhood grappling with the chaos of a deadly shootout. In the early hours of a Sunday morning, police were summoned to 35th Avenue and McDowell Road, where a woman was found dead and a juvenile male wounded. The fatality was confirmed as 21-year-old Amanda Franco, who was pronounced dead at the scene, as reported by the ABC15.
The incident, sparking from a large house party, turned to chaos when an altercation spilled outside. According to ABC15, the shooting resulted in multiple individuals exchanging gunfire and over 300 shell casings scattering throughout the area. Witnesses report a scene of panic as a large group of partygoers were seen running and driving off.
Following the aftermath, local residents expressed their distress over the violence. One man, prioritizing the safety of his family, recounted to FOX10 Phoenix how he had to instruct them to take cover: "I ran inside and told her to get the kids and fall to the ground, because we didn’t know where the [expletive] bullets were coming from." The scare was further heightened by the physical evidence imprinted on the neighborhood—the houses and cars marked with bullet holes bear silent testimony to the terror of that night.
Currently, no suspects have been placed into custody as the investigation continues. Phoenix Police urge anyone with information, including video evidence of the incident, to reach out to Silent Witness or through the police department's online portal. The community remains on high alert, and in the words of a woman identified as 'Margarita' during a FOX10 Phoenix interview, "[There are] kids [who] live here, kids that live on this street," capturing the prevailing worry felt amongst her neighbors.
