4 youths arrested in connection with robbery in El Mirage that left teenager dead

EL MIRAGE, AZ (AZFamily) – Nearly two months after a 15-year-old boy was shot and killed, El Mirage police said their officers arrested four teenagers for the crime.

Joey Hernandez-Silvas, 18, Fernando Avila, 17, Marcos Martinez, 16, and Joshua Ochoa, 16, were taken into custody on Friday.

According to police, Hernandez and his accomplices planned to rob a person from Surprise who wanted to exchange one gun for another.

However, they were unable to locate the person in Surprise and tracked them down to El Mirage, where they learned that the gun had already been delivered to the 15-year-old victim.

Officials said the group hatched a plan to lure and rob the teen on April 29 in the area between Soledad Street and Cesar Chavez Road, a neighborhood southeast of Thunderbird Road and El Mirage Road.

Police said during the robbery, Martinez shot the 15-year-old multiple times as he turned to run around 9 p.m.

The group fled before the police arrived.

Officers found the boy face down in the front yard of a house. He was taken to the hospital where he later died.

Hernandez, Martinez, Avila and Ochoa were charged with first-degree murder and robbery.

“This is a tragedy that resulted in the death of a young community member. The family affected by this intentional act of violence is in our thoughts and prayers and will not soon be forgotten. Efforts to bring the violent suspects to justice have been a priority for my investigators and me,” El Mirage Police Chief Paul Marzocca said in an emailed statement.

Arizona’s family has contacted the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to learn whether the three juvenile suspects will be charged as adults.

,

Have you discovered a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a recent news story? Send it here with a short description.

All rights reserved.