A 16-year-old boy is fighting for his life after being shot Saturday night while visiting his girlfriend, and police say a 21-year-old relative of the homeowners is responsible.
Rael Sanchez was arrested Sunday morning and booked into the Maricopa County Jail on one count of attempted second-degree murder.
The violence broke out just before 8 p.m. on December 13 at a home on the 900 block of South Deerfield Lane. According to the Gilbert Police Department, the teenage victim was at the residence to see his girlfriend. At the same time, Sanchez was at the house visiting his own family members.
Witnesses told investigators that the visit turned volatile quickly. They reported that Sanchez had been acting “erratically” and was seen with a firearm before the shooting occurred.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found the 16-year-old suffering from serious gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he remains in critical condition as of the latest update.
Sanchez allegedly fled the scene in a vehicle immediately after the shots were fired. Detectives worked through the night processing evidence and interviewing witnesses at the home, but the suspect was ultimately caught by a neighboring agency.
Phoenix Police officers located Sanchez shortly before 10 a.m. on Sunday, December 14, while responding to a completely unrelated incident in their jurisdiction. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation before being turned over to Gilbert detectives.
Sanchez is currently being held by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation remains active.
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