Two dead, one hurt after shooting at south Phoenix house party, police say

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- Phoenix police say two men are dead and another was injured after a shooting at a south Phoenix house party early Sunday morning.

Initial reports of a shooting at a “loud house party” came out around 1:35 a.m. near 24th Street and South Mountain Avenue. When officers showed up, they saw dozens of vehicles at a home, many blocking the street. Police tried to talk to the homeowner when they heard several gunshots being fired from the backyard. As partygoers took off, officers found three people who had been shot.

Two men were pronounced dead on the scene while a third man was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Both men who died were later identified to be Xavier Martinez, 21, and Robert Puentes, 21. Video from the scene showed an extensive police presence as South Mountain Road near Cloves Campbell Elementary School through 27th Street was closed in the area. Homicide detectives are still on scene investigating. No suspect description has been released.

“I just hear all of this commotion and then I hear a couple of shots go off,” a neighbor, who requested they not be identified due to safety concerns, said, “And then all of a sudden, you hear all of these cars, and then there’s sirens, and then I see the lights going off in my window.” They said that the experience was terrifying to witness. “It’s scary that there’s a whole lot of young people out here partying,” they said.

Last week, Arizona’s Family reported on a shooting that left one man dead and another hurt in the same neighborhood. In that investigation, officers found a car speeding off they believed was involved in the shooting. They started a short chase, and the driver crashed near 7th Avenue and Broadway Road, about six miles northwest of the original scene. That’s where all four people inside the car were detained. At this time, there is no indication if the shootings are connected.

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