Three young men from Arizona, who were minors at the time of the crime, have been handed down their sentences for a horrific drive-by shooting in 2023. The incident led to the tragic death of a 5-year-old boy and left several other children and teenagers injured. The perpetrators, Alfred Gary, 18, Freddy Patterson, 18, and Charles Adams, 20, reportedly fired over 20 rounds into a vehicle carrying seven individuals. Following the shooting, they went out for a meal and later returned to the scene of the crime to record a video, which they subsequently used to brag about their actions, according to the prosecution.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office disclosed that the fatal incident was gang-related. The three defendants were driving in Tempe when they came across a car filled with seven people and began shooting. All three admitted guilt to multiple felony charges, including second-degree murder, drive-by shooting, conspiracy to commit a drive-by shooting, and aggravated assault.
Gary was given a 16-year prison term, while Patterson and Adams were each handed 30-year sentences, as declared by the attorney’s office. A fourth alleged shooter, Demarcus Frazier, 32, is still awaiting trial and could potentially be sentenced to death.
The prosecution explained that in March 2023, the defendants pulled up alongside a black Impala at a red light near 48th Street and Broadway Road in Tempe. The car was filled with seven people, mostly children and teenagers. After the shooting, which resulted in the death of a 5-year-old boy and injuries to a 17-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl, the defendants went to dinner and later returned to the crime scene to record a video.
Patterson and Adams, both known members of a local Phoenix street gang, reportedly had a disagreement with a rival gang member who was allegedly in the Impala. The duo received an additional 5-year sentence for a separate drive-by shooting in Phoenix that took place two days before the Impala incident. In the earlier incident, they fired into a car carrying a mother and her two children, aged 3 and 14, but no one was hurt.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell issued a statement denouncing the actions of the young men and warning others against such behavior. She stated that individuals who show no regard for human life have no place in society and pledged her office’s continued efforts to combat illegal gang activity and the fear it instills in the community.