8-year-old girl dies after road rage shooting in north Phoenix, man facing murder charge

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- An eight-year-old who was shot during a violent road rage incident last week has died. 48-year-old Sidney Garrand is facing charges for her murder.

Court paperwork says officers were first called out to an area near 16th Street and Greenway Parkway just before 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27 after 911 callers told dispatchers of two men fighting in the street. When they arrived, they learned that a fight between two men turned violent.

According to the girl’s father, the incident started nearby when he approached a four-way stop after picking up his daughters from school. He says Garrand seemingly became upset when he had turned left in front of him to go south of 16th Street. Garrand reportedly turned his Jeep around, then followed the man and his family, which included his wife and three daughters. At one point, Garrand waved, but the girl’s father said he ignored it.

Once they got to the Greenway intersection, the man and other witnesses say Garrand pulled up directly behind him at a red light. The father had the window down and saw Garrand get out of his Jeep and start walking towards the car. Garrand then reportedly punched the man through the open window.

Documents say the father got out of his car, pulled a folding knife and “started swinging” at Garrand because he feared for his family’s lives. Witnesses also reportedly told officers that, at one point, Garrand was holding onto the father’s neck. Police say the man managed to injure Garrand near the neck with the knife. The father then reportedly got back into his car and began driving away as Garrand retrieved a handgun from the passenger side of his Jeep.

The family in the car then heard gunshots, with one witness reporting that Garrand fired five or six rounds. Documents say the three girls’ mother then turned to look at the backseat and saw that 8-year-old Cassidy Moreno in the middle seat was bleeding. She called 911 and Cassidy was soon rushed to the hospital in extremely critical condition. She died Saturday night.

“I think for us it’s just a matter of letting people know that she wasn’t just the 8-year-old victim,” said Thali Vargas, 8-year-old Cassidy Moreno’s aunt. “That she was somebody’s daughter, sister, niece. I think for me what’s really hard is it didn’t have to escalate to that point on either end.” She continued saying that what makes it harder was that the victim of the situation was a child that wouldn’t have typically been involved.

Garrand and the father were also hospitalized. Garrand was intubated and was treated for multiple cuts to his neck, right shoulder, and upper chest area, while the girl’s father suffered severe cuts to his fingers.

“For anyone, it shouldn’t have to end this way right? An inconvenience on the road shouldn’t have to end in, not just for us but that man is now in prison, or jail I’m sorry,” Vargas said. “Did you get to where you were going? Did you get what you wanted out of the situation?” The family has a GoFundMe page set up for Cassidy’s funeral arrangements that you can find here.

Garrand was treated and released from the hospital, then booked into the Maricopa County jail on Monday. After his arrest Monday night, Garrand refused to speak with detectives and invoked his right to an attorney.

Court papers say the girl’s father believes Garrand was aware there were children in the car because he had looked into the backseat before the fight started. He’s facing a homicide charge and multiple counts of assault.

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