A string of shootings took place in Glendale, Peoria and Surprise on Thursday last week, which happened over the course of around 90 minutes. One person was killed, and 12 others were injured.
Police took 19-year-old Ashin Tricarico into custody, who they believe is behind the shootings. Police say that there is no clear motive as of yet, which makes an incident like this even more disturbing than it already is.
Gun violence has been one of the many issues at the forefront of American’s minds for years now, and it seems that there will be no change to that in Arizona.
Although this was not technically a mass shooting because the shootings were spread out, as of Saturday, there have been a total of 283 mass shooting across the country according to the Gun Violence Archives (GVA).
The GVA states that in order for a shooting to be considered a “mass” shooting, four or more people have to have been injured or killed.
On May 9, there was a shooting at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Phoenix which resulted in one death and seven injuries. This was the fourth reported mass shooting in Arizona in 2021, the previous mass shooting in Phoenix was on March 16, leaving four dead and one injured.
This year, all of the reported mass shootings in the state have occurred in Phoenix. Even though Phoenix has accounted for every mass shooting in the state this year, incidents like this are still extremely rare, especially in the downtown area.
“I don’t think you would expect this, it doesn’t happen, it’s very random,” said Thomas Delaney, General Manager of the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown Phoenix. “But certainly, if you look at the past 15 or 20 years, you don’t have incidents like this happen downtown. So, I would classify this as very random.”
The last reported mass shooting downtown was on Jan. 13, 2019. With mass shootings becoming normalized, the city’s plans to help secure the downtown area from these types of attacks are in place, and constantly evolving. Although the exact details of their plans weren’t disclosed to the public, police have confirmed that there is a set plan for these types of incidents.
After the shooting at the Hyatt Regency, the hotel worked with the Phoenix Police to strengthen and strategize their safety protocols even further.
Since 2019, Arizona police are training for mass shootings, according to a azcentral.com report. Phoenix police declined to give exact details on how they prepare for such an event, but spokeswoman Sgt. Maggie Cox said that the department has designated officers who are focused solely on monitoring activities that could impact the community.
“I can tell you we’ve already met with Police Chief Williams as a hotel group and discussed how we, as a team, can be more vigilant. Both from a hotel level and a policing level,” said Delaney.
Delaney went on to explain that the hotel is partnered with downtown Phoenix and the police in how they track the amount of trespassing at the hotel. He also said that the security programs in the hotel are very good, assuring that the shooting was a random act of violence.
Andrew Bell, who is in the downtown area regularly, believes that more measures should be taken.
“Between stricter background checks and the use of semi-automatic weapons, I think that’s the biggest area that the city of Phoenix needs to focus on,” Bell said.
His suggestion covers how easy it is to obtain firearms in the state. In Arizona, if one clears a background check and is over the age of 18, they could purchase a gun and leave with it that same day. Other states such as California, require a 10 day “cool off” period as a safety precaution.
Bell also said that he feels as safe he can be but understands the threat of a mass shooting is always there and will constantly be in the back of people’s minds due to mass shootings becoming a daily occurrence.
“It’s up to high powered officials and people of power and local citizens pushing for advocacy to try and find an equal medium where both parties are able to find a balance between having gun owners who feel that they have the right to own a gun, [it being] constitutional and [having] people also feeling safe going to their local stores or local communities.”
Contact the reporter at jaflor50@asu.edu.
