Forty-eight seconds on a Phoenix street cost Larry Milligan his life. Now, his family is stepping up to a microphone and asking Valley drivers to cool down before another split-second encounter turns deadly.
The family of Milligan will speak publicly for the first time Friday morning, urging drivers to de-escalate after a 2020 road-rage shooting that killed him in central Phoenix. Milligan was shot while driving on Seventh Avenue near Interstate 17 in September 2020, an encounter prosecutors say lasted only seconds. The man convicted in the killing, Steven Orona, was later found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
As reported by Arizona's Family, Milligan's relatives will hold a 9 a.m. event Friday that the station will stream live on its article page and the AZF+ app. The family says it wants to warn other drivers and encourage calmer responses when tensions flare on the road. The prosecutor who handled the case is also scheduled to speak at the event.
Surveillance video played at trial showed Orona pull up beside Milligan’s vehicle and fire a shot through an open window, striking Milligan in the head before fleeing, according to coverage by KOLD News 13. Investigators later located Orona’s SUV on property in Buckeye linked to his then-girlfriend’s family.
Prosecutors: '48 Seconds Destroyed a Family'
In a news release, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said, "An exchange that lasted 48 seconds destroyed a family," when announcing Orona’s sentence in July 2025. Local outlets, including coverage that detailed the hearing and the life term, reported on the sentencing.
Aftermath and Evidence
Court records show Orona’s then-girlfriend, Yessenia Garcia Rocha, was in the SUV and later testified that she and Orona conspired to hide the vehicle; she pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor tampering charge and received one year of probation, per Arizona's Family. Prosecutors also disclosed that Orona told investigators he did not call 911 because he wanted to "meet his children and spend the evening" instead of dealing with police, a remark the state highlighted during trial.
Why This Matters in the Valley
The Milligan case is one of several road-rage shootings across the Valley in recent years, a pattern prosecutors say is worrying. Local reporting, including coverage by FOX10 Phoenix and a Tempe Police Department press release, shows other confrontations have quickly escalated to gunfire and criminal charges.
Milligan’s family says they hope the public forum will translate their grief into a concrete plea: slow down, step away and call 911 when a driving dispute turns heated. Their appearance Friday puts a human face on a case prosecutors say illustrates how ordinary moments on the road can have permanent consequences.
