5-year-old killed, two others hospitalized after an overnight shooting in Tempe

Investigators say the car, with one adult and six minors inside, was driving along 52nd Street when another vehicle pulled alongside and started shooting.
Published: Mar. 18, 2023 at 9:43 AM MST
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TEMPE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — A 5-year-old is dead, and several others were injured after a shooting in Tempe overnight.

Police say they were called to a shooting around 11:45 p.m. Friday near 52nd Street and Broadway Road. Investigators say the car, with one adult and six minors inside, was driving along 52nd Street when another vehicle pulled alongside and started shooting at them. Multiple bullets hit three of the minors inside the vehicle, and the car quickly took off before officers arrived.

52nd Street and Broadway Road in Tempe, Arizona
52nd Street and Broadway Road in Tempe, Arizona(azfamily)

Paramedics rushed all three victims to a nearby hospital, where one of them, a 5-year-old, later died. “That’s sad. It’s sad, and I got a little shaken up behind it,” said Olivia Allison.

Allison was visiting from Los Angeles and had been staying at a hotel on 52nd Street. She said she didn’t hear gunshots, but she woke up to the area outside the hotel blocked off Saturday morning. She went looking for answers from investigators and was heartbroken to know a 5-year-old was shot and killed. “Oh God. That’s awful. That’s awful,” she said.

Allison said she knows the loss too well. “I had a kid that got killed from gun violence also- the only daughter I had before her 19th birthday in Los Angeles, California. I feel for the people (family of victim) cause it’s nothing easy,” she said.

She is now hurting for the family of a child lost too soon. Allison said she is praying for them and hoping for change. “All I can say is, ‘stop the violence’. Life is too short. We need to stick together and help each other,” she said. Allison checked out a couple of days early after becoming concerned for her safety following the shooting.

Investigators are now trying to get a good description of the driver and car of the suspect vehicle. A motive for the shooting has not yet been released.