4 teens arrested in connection to Coolidge drive-by that killed girl

COOLIDGE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — Four teenagers are behind bars for their involvement in a drive-by shooting that killed a 14-year-old Coolidge girl last week, police said. Investigators said 19-year-old Derek Manuel and a 17-year-old boy were arrested on Tuesday at a home in Gilbert. A 14-year-old girl was taken into custody at a family member’s house in Casa Grande on Wednesday. The last suspect, a 15-year-old boy from Laveen, was arrested in Scottsdale.

Investigators said all four were in the car and went into a neighborhood near state Route 287 and Coolidge Avenue just after midnight on Thursday. It’s unclear who the shooter was, but Miyka Crawford was shot in the head. She was rushed to Florence Anthem Hospital, where she later died. Police said more than a dozen bullets went into the home. The four teens’ stolen car was later found abandoned in Gilbert, police said. Detectives haven’t released a motive for the drive-by shooting. “This violence was brought here. None of these individuals live in the city of Coolidge. With our partnerships with our surrounding law enforcement agencies, it really truly helped us to reach these individuals and bring them to justice for Miyka and her family,” said Coolidge Police Commander Mark Tercero.

Family members say Crawford was a sweet, outgoing kid who loved TikTok, making videos and hanging out with her sister. “People ask how are you doing, but you honestly can’t answer that,” said Antoinette Scott, Miyka’s aunt. “We don’t know from day to day. Every hour is different. One minute we reminisce and watch videos and the next minute everybody is breaking down. She was 14, just a baby.” The family started a GoFundMe page to help with expenses.

A celebration of life service for Miyka will be held at 330 E. Burke Ave, Coolidge, AZ on Saturday at 2 p.m. Guests are asked to wear purple or blue if they plan to attend. “Families were on flights in less than 24 hours. People that we haven’t spoken to since we were children. So Miyka’s happy right now seeing people come together and see everybody getting along smiling and laughing. And that’s what we’re going to hold onto,” said Scott.

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