Shots fired at Copper Sky

Five juveniles were detained Thursday evening by Maricopa Police during an investigation into gunshots in the parking lot of Copper Sky Park, while attending a candlelight vigil. The investigation determined the youths were shooting into the air and not at anyone.

Maricopa Police are withholding the names of the suspects as they all are minors.

Officers were dispatched to Copper Sky at 8:15 p.m. on Thursday after receiving several calls from citizens of gunfire in the area. Prior to officers arriving, witnesses said they saw two cars leaving the area after the shots, with four juveniles in one car and one driver in the other. The car carrying the four juveniles lost control and struck a tree at the intersection of Bowlin and Greythorn roads. The juveniles ran from the crashed car and got into the second car.

According to a statement from Maricopa Police Department, officers “arrived on scene and quickly located the wrecked car and the juveniles in the other. During the officers’ investigation, they seized a handgun, shell casings, drugs and drug paraphernalia located in these cars. Maricopa Criminal Investigations Division (CID) responded to help in the investigation. There were no injuries reported during this incident.”

The statement further explained that: “All of the juveniles involved were questioned and then released to their parents but may be facing criminal charges as this case is still under investigation.”

The vigil is an annual memorial event for Kristopher Mickell, a Maricopa teen who was stabbed to death in Phoenix in 2020. The initial event in 2020 was planned by his friends and teachers at the Maricopa Unified School District.  Mickell was 15 when he was killed.