A tragic event unfolded on Monday at the bustling Tempe Marketplace, where a shooting during an online sale left 19-year-old Dominic Baysinger dead. Fernando Gallegos, 20, is now facing charges for first-degree murder and armed robbery with a deadly weapon, according to AZ Family. Tempe Police Department detained Gallegos, setting his bond at $1.2 million cash-only after his arrest on Tuesday.
During a court hearing, state prosecutors alleged that Gallegos planned to rob Baysinger at the scheduled meetup. Ashley Stetson, a state prosecutor, said that Gallegos went to Tempe Marketplace with the intention to commit armed robbery, which escalated to murder. Information from FOX 10 Phoenix disclosed the prosecutors' statement, "This could have been completely avoided had the suspect, on December 1st, not decided to commit an armed robbery and ultimately shoot and kill the 19-year-old victim." Interestingly, the accused works for Amazon, has a family to support, and reportedly has no prior criminal record, details that were highlighted by Gallegos' attorney.
In response to the charges, Gallegos' lawyer, Marc Adair, countered the allegations, underscoring his client's clean background. "The armed robbery itself talks about there was going to be an exchange of apparently money and a ring from the victim to Mr. Gallegos for a Glock handgun, I don’t know that there is enough here to support that there was a robbery committed by this individual who was standing before the court today," Adair told AZ Family. Despite the lawyer's efforts, the judge maintained the murder and armed robbery charges, while declining to support probable cause for a conspiracy charge.
Gallegos' lawyer also pointed out during the hearing, the limited evidence directly linking his client to the shooting, "Again, she got out and heard it and must have saw something about pertaining to the robbery itself, but the shooting, I just don’t see that there’s any information tying that to him," as reported by AZ Family. Meanwhile, as the holiday season approaches, Tempe police urged the public to exercise caution during online sale meet-ups, especially with high-value items. Despite Baysinger's adherence to recommended safety precautions, such as meeting in a public place during daytime and not alone, the deal ended fatally.
While the specifics of what Baysinger was buying or selling have not been disclosed by Tempe police, the transaction reportedly did not involve any illegal items. Details from FOX 10 Phoenix also indicated that a revolver was found at the scene, possibly linking it to the crime. Tempe Police Officer Jessica Ells mentioned, "Ballistics are gonna have to be done to solidify that that was the gun used or, if it was just a gun on scene." The investigation remains active, and court documents have been sealed amidst concerns that other suspects may be involved.
