CASA GRANDE, AZ — Police in Casa Grande are investigating a shooting that injured a 10-year-old girl near the Casa Grande Union High School District Office, and they say four people may have information about what happened.
Officers were sent to the area of Casa Grande Avenue and McMurray Boulevard around 7 p.m. on Sept. 14. At the same time, shots could be heard during a Casa Grande Union High School District Board meeting, according to police.
Responding officers found a crime scene in front of the district office. Not long after that, police were called to a nearby convenience store for a report that a 10-year-old girl had been shot in the shoulder.
The child was taken to Banner Casa Grande Medical Center, where she was treated and later released.
Police say the shooting scene was outside the district office
Casa Grande Police said detectives believe the crime scene outside the district office and the shooting that injured the child are connected. The agency has not publicly identified any suspects or said what led to the gunfire.
The location placed the incident close to a public meeting already underway, adding to the fear felt by people inside the boardroom. The board later described hearing several rounds of shots while they were meeting.
Officials have not said whether the girl was inside a car, walking near the area, or otherwise caught in the gunfire. They have also not released a motive. For now, investigators are treating the two calls as part of the same episode.
Detectives release videos showing four people of interest
To move the investigation forward, Casa Grande police released two videos they say may help identify four people who could have information about the shooting. One video shows a male riding a motorized dirt bike, while the second shows two males and one female walking in the area.
Police said all four are considered persons of interest. They did not say whether the individuals are accused of firing a weapon or simply may have witnessed events before or after the shooting.
The department is asking the public to help identify the people shown in the videos. Investigators believe the footage could provide a clearer timeline of what happened before officers arrived at the scene.
Mother says her 10-year-old daughter was hit in the shoulder
Charlene Ford, the girl’s mother, said she believes a group of children was walking or riding in the area when shots were fired at a car carrying her children. She said her daughter was in the back seat when the girl was struck in the right shoulder.
Ford said the experience was frightening and left her deeply worried about her children’s safety. She said she feared she could have lost all three of her children that night.
Ford also said she moved to Arizona from Chicago five years ago because she believed it would be safer. She said the shooting has shaken that feeling, especially because of other violent incidents she has heard about in Casa Grande.
Board members say the meeting quickly went into lockdown
Steve Hayes, president of the Casa Grande Union High School District Governing Board, said the people in the meeting room were startled when they heard the gunfire. He said the group was unsure at first what the sound had been.
District security quickly locked down the meeting and began checking on the situation outside. Hayes said that step helped keep people from walking into an active scene before it was secured.
He said everyone inside the boardroom stayed calm while professionals handled the response. Hayes added that he was relieved no one in the meeting was hurt.
Police ask witnesses to contact Detective Tyler Miller
Investigators say anyone with credible information about the shooting, or anyone who recognizes the people shown in the videos, should contact Detective Tyler Miller with Casa Grande Police.
Police listed Miller’s phone number as (520) 840-2824 and his email as [email protected]. The department has not announced any arrests.
For now, the case remains open as detectives work to identify the four people and piece together the moments leading up to the shooting near the district office.
A neighborhood shooting that rattled a public meeting
The shooting brought together several strands of concern at once: a child injured by gunfire, a public meeting interrupted by shots, and police trying to identify people seen nearby. The incident unfolded in a busy area near the school district office and a convenience store, which widened the number of people who may have seen or heard something useful.
Police have said the girl was treated and released, but they have not said whether the case has produced any suspects. The public release of video suggests investigators are still looking for leads and trying to separate rumor from verified information.
As of the latest police statement, the effort centers on identifying the four people in the footage and understanding how the shooting near Casa Grande Avenue and McMurray Boulevard unfolded.