On Saturday, May 13, 2023, at approximately 10:54 p.m., the Yuma Police Department responded to a report of shots being fired in the 3800 block of S. Edward Drive.
Upon arrival, officers located several subjects with gunshot wounds. A 19-year-old man was transported before police arrived and was pronounced dead at Yuma Regional Medical Center shortly after.
A second victim, a 20-year-old man, was transported by Yuma Fire Department to Yuma Regional Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.
A third victim, a 16-year-old man, was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center and then airlifted to Phoenix with life-threatening injuries. The other gunshot victims, males aged 15, 19, 18 and 16, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
A total of 7 victims were treated at the YRMC.
Several law enforcement officers who were not on duty in the area were involved in this incident.
This is an active investigation and no suspects are in custody at the time of this press release.
UPDATE: The two deceased victims have been identified as Ande Blackthunder, 20, and Danny Garcia, 19. Two victims were airlifted to a Phoenix-area hospital and are listed in stable condition. The three victims were treated in hospital and released. The victims were taken to hospital by ambulance and private vehicles.
We can confirm that it was a party at a private residence.
That the parties knew each other and that more than 30 shots were fired. The owners were not at the residence when this party happened, but they were contacted and cooperated fully. Several weapons have been recovered from the scene and are awaiting forensic testing.
Our detectives have been hard at work since the shooting.
Currently, investigators are trying to determine a motive. However, it doesn’t appear to be a random act. We have leads that our detectives are investigating.
We would like to thank the staff on leave who participated in this incident. They were an off-duty California Highway Patrolman, an off-duty YPD detective, two off-duty Yuma Sector Border Patrol officers and the wife of one of those officers, who is a nurse. .
The Yuma Police Department encourages anyone with information about this case to call the Yuma Police Department at (928) 373-4700 or 78-Crime at (928) 782-7463 to remain anonymous. Remember, if your information leads to an arrest, you can receive up to $1,000 in cash.