Arizona Tribal Casino Parking Garage Site of Deadly Shooting

Posted on: April 16, 2021, 05:26h. 

Last updated on: April 16, 2021, 09:41h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

An unnamed man was killed Thursday in the Gila River Hotels & Casinos – Wild Horse Pass parking garage. The fatal shooting is the latest violent incident in numerous gaming property garages or parking lots nationwide.

Gila River police officers were reportedly on the second floor of the garage when they heard gunshots, according to azfamily.com, an Arizona news site. That was at about 2 am.

Within seconds, the cops ran to the third level. They found a man on the floor. He had suffered several gunshot wounds, according to KPNX, a local TV station.

Before emergency workers could transport the victim to a hospital, he died while in the garage, police said.

The suspected shooter was also allegedly trying to wound a woman who was near the injured man. Officers exchanged gunfire with the alleged assailant.

No one was wounded during the exchange of bullets. The woman was able to run from the area. She was not injured.

The suspect also tried to run from the crime site. But police were able to capture him after a short chase, KPNX said.

The suspect was taken into custody. He was transported to a hospital in Phoenix for medical treatment, azfamily.com reported. It was not clear what ailment or injury he was suffering.

Suspect Hospitalized, Will Be Charged

The suspect was admitted to the hospital, KSAZ, a local TV station in Arizona, reported. He will be booked on charges and incarcerated in a local jail once he gets released from the hospital, the report adds.

His name was not immediately released by police. Nor is it known what charges will be filed.

Police suspect those involved in the incident knew each other prior to the shooting. Initial news reports did not indicate what circumstances led to the shooting.

All three people involved in the incident are not part of the Gila River Indian Community. The tribe’s reservation is located in Arizona on about 583 square miles.

The casino is located near Chandler, Ariz. It is about 22 miles southeast of Phoenix.

During the investigation, the parking garage was closed to the public. However, the casino remained open.

Prior Violent Crimes in Casino Garages

In recent months, several violent or fatal crimes took place in casino parking garages or lots, according to a report from Casino.org.

Last month, a Detroit man was arrested in connection with a fatal shooting in the Motor City Casino parking garage.

In February, two men needed hospitalization after getting stabbed several times in a parking garage at the Nugget Casino Resort in Sparks, Nev.

Also, two bandits attacked an elderly man last Christmas Day in a Las Vegas gaming property parking garage before stealing his wallet. The victim of the assault at Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall was believed to be in his 90s, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

In October, Palm Springs, Calif. police officers shot two robbery suspects as they tried to speed away from a parking garage at Agua Caliente Casino. One had just allegedly robbed a woman at gunpoint.

The October incident followed a September shooting at a parking garage at the same gaming property. The earlier violent attack at the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians’-owned casino was investigated as an attempted homicide.

Last August, a fatal shooting took place at an Emerald Queen Casino garage in Tacoma, Wash. In July, another fatal shooting occurred at Winner’s Way parking garage in Florida’s Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood.