A disagreement over a $15 nail repair fee turned into gunfire outside a busy Phoenix nail salon this week, according to police, who say a 26-year-old woman punched an employee and then fired a shot at the building before driving away. Officers say 18 people were inside Element Nail Bar when the bullet struck the front glass door, sending customers and staff scrambling for cover.
According to court documents cited by AZ Family, the suspect, identified as Essence Mire, argued with an Element Nail Bar employee over the cost to fix a broken fingernail before the confrontation escalated. Police say Mire punched the employee in the face, then walked outside, fired a single shot that struck the salon's front glass door, and drove away from the scene.
The bullet shattered the glass door as people inside the salon reacted in real time. Some hid inside the business, while others ran out through the back door to escape, per the same account. Several people inside reportedly recorded the incident on their cellphone cameras as it unfolded.
Suspect Admitted Firing Shot to Intimidate Staff, Records Show
Per court documents referenced in the report, Mire admitted to punching the worker and shooting at the business in an effort to intimidate salon staff into fixing her nail for free. Element Nail Bar's storefront sits at 16th Street and Bethany Home Road, a stretch of Central Phoenix lined with commercial businesses, according to the salon's own listed contact information.
Phoenix police officers tracked Mire to her home near Interstate 17 and Northern Avenue and arrested her there, the outlet's report states. Court records reviewed by 12News additionally indicate that Mire had been a regular customer of Element Nail Bar for several months before the dispute over the repair fee, suggesting the confrontation involved an established client rather than a first-time visitor, according to 12News.
Felony Charges Carry Years of Potential Prison Time
Mire was booked on one count of discharging a firearm at a nonresidence, one count of aggravated assault, and was also charged with discharging a firearm within city limits and with assault. Under Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-1211, knowingly discharging a firearm at a nonresidential structure such as a commercial building is classified as a Class 3 felony, according to the Salwin Law Group. A Class 3 felony conviction in Arizona carries a standard presumptive prison sentence ranging from 2.5 to 7 years for a first-time offense, per the Lerner & Rowe Law Group.
The city-limits firearm charge stems from Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-3107, commonly known as Shannon's Law, which classifies discharging a firearm within municipal boundaries with criminal negligence as a Class 6 felony, according to the Arizona State Legislature. The aggravated assault charge reflects Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-1204, under which simple assault becomes aggravated assault once a defendant uses a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument during the act, as explained by Castillo Law.
$100,000 Bond Set as Case Moves Through Court
A judge set Mire's bond at $100,000 following her arrest. Felony arrestees in Phoenix are typically booked through the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office detention system at the Fourth Avenue Jail downtown, where initial appearance judges determine release conditions and bond amounts, according to The Bail Barn. Posting a $100,000 surety bond through a licensed bail agency generally requires a non-refundable 10% fee, or $10,000, while a direct cash bond must be deposited in person at the jail or through an official court wire transfer.
Element Nail Bar describes itself as an artist-led salon specializing in Aprés Gel-X, Builder Gel, and custom nail art, and customer feedback collected on Trustindex in August documented discussions of the salon's service pricing and transaction policies. All charges against Mire remain allegations at this stage of the case, and it was not immediately clear when she is scheduled for arraignment or whether her bond has been posted.
