Police have arrested the man they say shot a father and two children after vomiting on the victims’ dog.
It happened at about 10 p.m. Tuesday at the Casa Mia Apartments in the neighborhood of 32nd Street and Pinchot Avenue, north of Thomas Road.
Police arrested Anthony Jamar Houston Wednesday evening, less than 24 hours after the shooting.
According to police, a 41-year-old man was walking his dog in the courtyard when a 22-year-old man on the second-floor landing threw up over the railing and onto the victim’s dog.
The men immediately got into an argument. As the suspect, later identified as Houston, headed toward the steps leading down to the courtyard, the victim, apparently fearing for his safety, began quickly walking to his apartment.
Just as the dog owner got to his door, Houston allegedly pulled a gun and opened fire, hitting the victim several times in the torso. The victim fell through the door into the living room. The victim’s 14-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old family friend, both of whom were in the living room when the suspect started shooting, were wounded by stray bullets.
The teen’s father was in critical condition, but has since been updated to stable. The teen and the 9-year-old boy suffered non life-threatening injuries and are expected to recover. Doctors have released both from the hospital.
Briana White, a Casa Mia resident, said she heard six or seven shots.
“I walked back outside and all I see is a whole bunch of cops just gathered up,” she said. “And then I see the ambulance taking people out on stretchers.”
Witnesses said the suspect appeared to be very drunk. They saw him run from the complex right after the shooting. Police searched the neighborhood, but came up empty.
Officers caught up with Houston at about 7 p.m. Wednesday, and arrested him in connection with what Phoenix Police Officer James Holmes called “the barbaric act of violence.”
“Phoenix Police detectives and officers worked tirelessly to get this dangerous criminal off our city streets,” Holmes said in an email Thursday morning.
Houston was booked on a variety of felony charges, including aggravated assault, endangerment, discharging a firearm at a resident and prohibited possession of a weapon.
A resident who lives next door to the suspect told 3TV’s Tess Rafols that several kids were playing in the courtyard at the time of the shooting. Not one of them was injured.
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