Kevin Zamora was just 17, working a kiosk job to help support his mother, when a verbal spat with strangers at Desert Sky Mall turned deadly on June 2. Four months later, his family is organizing a march against gun violence that retraces the route he used to walk, ending at the high school where he should still be a student.
Zamora worked at the Bisou cologne and hat kiosk inside the Phoenix mall, according to ABC15 Arizona, which reported that he worked to help support his mother. Officers responding to the indoor shopping center near 75th Avenue and Thomas Road found Zamora and a 16-year-old co-worker wounded at about 8:20 p.m. that night, according to KTAR News. Both teens were transported to a hospital, but Zamora later died from his injuries.
How the Confrontation Turned Violent
Court documents describe two unknown males approaching Zamora and his co-worker at the Bisou kiosk, where the group offered to sell the pair a hat and cologne. The men reportedly became aggressive before walking away while continuing to make comments, per the same court records cited by ABC15. A witness at the kiosk, who suffered from anxiety, then reached into a cross-body bag to hold a pill bottle — a motion one of the males allegedly mistook for someone reaching for a gun.
That same male then pulled a .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun from his waistband and pointed it at the group, according to the court documents, and the group ran as the gunman opened fire. Multiple shots struck both Zamora and his co-worker. Zamora's mother was reportedly one of the first people to see him after the shooting, a moment his family has described as devastating.
Investigators Trace Suspect Through Mall Footage
Investigators obtained surveillance footage from inside and outside Desert Sky Mall showing two suspects entering and exiting multiple stores before the shooting, and used that footage along with other investigative methods to identify 15-year-old Guillermo Guzman as the suspect seen firing the handgun, per KTAR's reporting. Police arrested Guzman at his home without incident on June 4, and officials confirmed he will be tried as an adult.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office announced on June 25 that Guzman had been indicted on one count of second-degree murder, four counts of aggravated assault and one count of disorderly conduct, according to azcentral.com. His secured appearance bond was set at $1 million. Arizona law requires county attorneys to prosecute juveniles aged 15, 16 or 17 as adults when they are accused of certain listed offenses, according to the Arizona Legislature's statutory language, though the specific list of qualifying offenses was not detailed in the available excerpt.
A Mother's Grief and a Community's Response
Zamora's sister, Katherine Zamora, described her brother as a generous soul whose spirit was contagious, saying he tried to help everybody he knew, even people he didn't know. She has said Kevin touched many lives, and that his mother watched him suffer the most in the aftermath of the shooting. The family continues to struggle daily with his death, Katherine Zamora said.
In the weeks after the shooting, friends and strangers alike showed up to support the family at a memorial car wash, where all proceeds, along with a portion of sales from inside Ace of Wingz, went to the Zamora family, per ABC15's reporting. Zamora's regular customers sent his family words of encouragement and support, and organizers framed the fundraising push as a way to bring awareness to gun violence and violence in general. A GoFundMe page has also been set up to help cover the family's funeral expenses.
Saturday's March Retraces Kevin's Daily Walk
Kevin Zamora's family now plans to march against gun violence this Saturday, October 3, with gathering set to begin at 8:30 a.m. near 75th Avenue and Thomas, close to Desert Sky Mall. Marchers will follow the route Kevin often walked, ending at Premier High School. The planned march echoes other Arizona families who have turned personal tragedy into public demonstrations, including a mother who organized a similar march against gun violence in 2021 after her own family was touched by a shooting, as ABC15 reported at the time.
