Police respond to illegal fireworks and shots fired calls over holiday weekend

Maricopa Police responded to seven calls related to fireworks and two for shots fired over the Fourth of July weekend, police reports state.

The first report of fireworks came at 1:09 a.m. Friday near the corner of West Bowlin Road and Rainbow Drive in Maricopa Meadows.

Less than two hours later, police responded to a call of a single shot being fired at 2:46 a.m. in the 41000 block of West Hayden Road in Homestead.

The next such calls didn’t come in until 8:41 p.m. and 8:53 p.m. when it was reported that fireworks were being shot off in the street in the 45000 block of West Horse Mesa in Alterra and in the 40000 block of West Mary Lou Circle in Smith Farms.

At 9:24 p.m. and 9:31 p.m. reports came in suggesting that fireworks were going off close to the ground, and that the rockets being launched were “very large” on West Brant Street and on North Denton Drive, respectively, in Maricopa Meadows.

Each of these reports came in as celebrants waited for the city to begin launching its display during the Great American Barbecue at Pacana Park. Those rockets did not begin lighting up the night sky until about 9:45 p.m.

On Saturday, police responded to two additional calls related to fireworks and one more for shots fired.

The first fireworks reported as having gone up that night were launched at 2:06 a.m. in the 44000 block of West Palo Teca Road in Palo Brea.

Additional fireworks were reported at 2:50 a.m. in the 42000 block of West Chambers Drive in Rancho El Dorado.

The report of shots fired came in at 8:45 p.m. in the general area of North Glennwilde Drive and West Palmyra Court in Glennwilde.

Additional details were not immediately available.

Photo by Jake Johnson