Woman dead, man hospitalized after being shot inside a car in Buckeye

BUCKEYE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — Deputies say a woman is dead and a man is in the hospital after they were found shot inside a car in Buckeye late Monday night.

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office says around 9:30 p.m., deputies responded near Miller Road and Southern Avenue for reports of shots fired. When deputies arrived, they found a man and woman inside the car shot. Both of them were taken to the hospital. Deputies say the man was seriously hurt while the woman, later identified as 19-year-old Emilie Gomez, had life-threatening injuries. Early Tuesday morning, the woman was pronounced dead.

There is no description of the suspect, and neighbors are on edge, too anxious to appear on camera. One witness says it all happened quickly, and it was strangely quiet. “This is the first time since I moved here. But I’ve never experienced something like this before. It’s usually quiet in Buckeye,” the witness said. “It’s really tragic that I have to know that someone died on my street.”

Another witness says he didn’t hear anything until deputies arrived at the scene. “I heard the police yell to drop the gun, and that’s what woke me up. I got out and peeked out through the curtains, and I watched for a little while,” he said.

Witnesses also said it took about 30 minutes from when the 911 calls were made until police arrived. “My mom made calls, and the neighbors made calls too. And it took the police 30 minutes to get here. I feel like in those 30 minutes lives could have been saved,” he said.

MCSO spokesperson Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez says there was a 10-15 minute delay before deputies and Buckeye police were notified about the 911 call. It took about 11 minutes before deputies arrived on the scene, he says.

Deputies have still not released any details on what led up to the shooting. The woman’s name hasn’t been released. Video from Arizona’s Family news chopper showed police actively working the scene. At this time, authorities say no suspect has been found.

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