An alleged gunman in a mass shooting in Arizona on Wednesday night recorded himself during the shooting, according to footage posted to social media. The shooting took place at the Westgate Entertainment District shopping and dining complex in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix.
Breaking: Police confirm at least 3 people injured after shooting at Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale, Arizona. The power is out in the area. The shooter reportedly streamed the incident on Snapchat. pic.twitter.com/6HW286Q01f
— PM Breaking News (@PMBreakingNews) May 21, 2020
The Glendale Police Department tweeted that at least two people were injured and one person was in custody without revealing the suspect’s identity. There were no immediate reports of any deaths from the shooting.
Update: there are no more reports of any active shooting. One suspect is in custody. We are shutting down the Westgate area to ensure everyone is safe. Media staging will be at Cabelas parking lot
— Glendale Police (@GlendaleAZPD) May 21, 2020
However, the person on camera identified himself as Armando Junior Hernandez and said in part, “I’m gonna be the shooter of Westgate.” The 41-second video seemed to be edited and showed the person on camera in different clothes and settings before it cut to footage of a gun being fired in what appeared to be a dark hallway.
Hernandez’s mother reportedly confirmed her son’s identity and said he was 20 years old from Peoria, Arizona, which is about 4 miles north of Glendale. Hernandez reportedly went to high school in Glendale.
The suspect’s mother identified her son Armando Hernandez from Peoria, 20, as the shooter, but police have not verified this.
The woman says Hernandez is a graduate of Raymon Kellis High School. https://t.co/niWk9HuivS
— YvonneWingettSanchez (@yvonnewingett) May 21, 2020
The video surfaced on social media in the minutes after the shooting was first reported about 7:40 local time and included an interaction with a person who appeared to be shot in a parking lot asking for the shooter to stop. There was no apparent mention of a motive for the shooting.
In anticipation of social media channels likely disabling the video, NewsOne took a screenshot of the person who identified himself as Armando Junior Hernandez.
The shooting took place five days after the state reopened its non-essential businesses following their closures because of the coronavirus social distancing guidelines.
Arizona State Sen. Martín Quezada tweeted that he was at the Westgate Entertainment District and witnessed the gunman, who he described as “an armed terrorist with an AR-15.” He said he saw “multiple victims.”
I saw 2 victims with my own eyes. Not sure how many others I saw the shooter. Being told not to say anything else about details ’til I speak to police. I’m ok. Lots of shaken up people.
— Sen. Martín Quezada (@SenQuezada29) May 21, 2020
Journalist Mitch Carr reported that the Glendale Police Department revised the number of injured from two to three people.
Glendale PD: three injuries, no deaths confirmed; Glendale PD located suspect and took him into custody. Glendale PD is still doing safety checks. #12News pic.twitter.com/D5WUzCMciU
— Mitch Carr (@mitchcarrtv) May 21, 2020
However, at least one of those three victims was reportedly in critical condition. The other two victims were reportedly stable and expected to recover. Local journalist David Caltabiano tweeted that police said they “challenged” the gunman before being able to take him into custody.
Police say they challenged gunman and were able to take him into custody.
— David Caltabiano (@DavidCaltabiano) May 21, 2020
Another witness filmed the police responding from her vantage point hiding in a studio.
Currently what we can see, we locked the doors and shut the lights off as soon as we heard the gunshots go off. Thank you! I will try to keep updates from here! pic.twitter.com/dGydoqMRo7
— Eli (@xRubyDaCherry) May 21, 2020
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey tweeted that he was aware of the shooting.
We are monitoring this closely. @Arizona_DPS has been in contact with @GlendaleAZPD throughout the situation and the state stands ready to support. https://t.co/Vf6lwS8T4o
— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) May 21, 2020
Local news outlet Fox 10 reported that it was only hours earlier when Ducey said: “the state’s reopening and the expiration of the stay-at-home order have been smooth, with not many issues, and that the state remains at phase 1 of the process.”
The husband of Gabby Giffords, the former Arizona Congresswoman and gun control advocate who survived an assassination attempt, tweeted his thoughts and prayers for all of the victims involved in Wednesday night’s shooting.
There is no more terrifying time than right now for everyone who is wondering if their loved ones who were at Westgate are safe, or if they are among those who were hurt. @GabbyGiffords and I have been through this, and so have far too many other Americans. We’re with you.
— Captain Mark Kelly (@CaptMarkKelly) May 21, 2020
This is a developing story and will be updated as additional information becomes available.
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