Two people were fatally shot, and five others were wounded in Yuma, Arizona, located just 10 miles away from the U.S.-Mexico border, Saturday night. The Yuma Police Department declared the double homicide in a Facebook post on Sunday morning, and they emphasized that they had yet to apprehend any suspects in the still active investigation.
At around 10:54 p.m. Saturday, the department said they responded to a report of gunshots in the 3800 block of S. Edward Drive, as mentioned by Yuma police Sgt. Lori Franklin. Upon arriving at the scene, law enforcement officials found multiple individuals who had been shot.
A 19-year-old man was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center before the police arrived, and was soon thereafter pronounced dead. Another victim, a 20-year-old male, was also taken to Yuma Regional Medical Center, where he was declared deceased. A third victim, a 16-year-old male, was also taken to Yuma Regional Medical Center, and was then flown to Phoenix with life-threatening injuries. The other gunshot victims, males aged 15, 19, 18, and 16, suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to the police. A total of seven victims were treated at Yuma Regional Medical Center.
The police specified that several off-duty law enforcement officers were in the area and helped with the incident. Citizens with information regarding the tragedy are encouraged to contact Yuma Police Department at (928) 373-4700 or 78-Crime at (928) 782-7463, with the assurance that a cash reward of up to $1,000 will be given in the event of an arrest.
ABC News first reported that the police were summoned at approximately 11 p.m. local time for an aggravated assault on South J Edward Drive. Yuma police Lt. Craig Johnson revealed to the news outlet that seven people were sent to the hospital, and even though officers had not apprehended a suspect yet, there was no credible risk to the community.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Yuma Police Department for further details about the shooting, but there was no response before the article was published.
The shooting occurred at a time when the border town, with a population of around 97,000, is struggling with a massive influx of migrants crossing the border. Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls appeared on Fox News on Friday, warning that the Border Patrol had started releasing migrants onto the streets after Title 42 expired.
He further articulated that the Yuma sector had apprehended 1,550 people the day before, surpassing their capacity, and they had started letting them go on the sidewalks without any help from NGOs. The mayor, a Republican, also drew attention to the fact that FEMA had not been activated to take care of the migrants’ humanitarian needs.
On the same day, Nicholls wrote a letter to President Biden, urging him to declare a national emergency due to the migrant crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border in order to protect American communities from the influx of migrants. The letter noted how the state of Arizona, Yuma County, and other local cities had already declared states of emergency, but Biden had not.
This is an ongoing story.