The sixteenth birthday party for a Phoenix teen turned out to be more bloody than sweet when someone shot her in the leg early Sunday morning, reports azfamily.com.
Phoenix police officers were called to the home at around midnight after receiving reports that shots had been fired in a Phoenix backyard. The teenage girl had suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. No one else was reported injured.
Officers arrived to find guests fleeing the home and detained a 1997 Pontiac and its passengers as it sped from the area. Although police questioned six "investigative leads," they were later released when officers could not determine if the weapon found in the car was related to the shooting, according to azfamily.com.
If caught, the shooter could face several years in prison for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, which is a class 3 felony.
Typically, the use of a deadly weapon - such as a handgun or knife - constitutes aggravated assault, which is punished more severely than simple assault. Whether or not the object used to commit the assault is considered a deadly weapon depends on the manner in which the object is used during the attack.
Interestingly, if the victim had been celebrating her fourteenth birthday party, the crime would be categorized as a class 2 felony. The identity of the victim often elevates the offense to a more serious crime, such as if the attack was committed on law enforcement or a minor.
Anyone with information about the birthday party shooting is asked to call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS. For more information on the crime of aggravated assault, see our Related Resources section.
Related Resources:
- Find a Phoenix Criminal Defense Attorney (FindLaw)
- Phoenix Shootings Leave 2 Teens Injured (myFoxPhoenix)
- Aggravated Assault (FindLaw)
- Mesa Woman Stabs Husband for Too Many Female Facebook Friends? (Phoenix Criminal Law News)
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