In a quiet north Phoenix neighborhood, the morning of January 14, 2024, was shattered by a tragic act of violence that left two people dead. Ila Washington, a 70-year-old Black/African American woman, was found inside her home, the victim of a fatal gunshot wound. The events unfolded after Phoenix police received a distressing call regarding a domestic violence situation at a residence near Central Avenue and Union Hills Drive.
The caller reported that a man at the home had claimed to
have killed his girlfriend and was threatening to take his own life. When officers arrived at the scene, they established a perimeter and attempted to make contact with the occupants of the house. Despite their efforts using a loudspeaker and phone calls, there was no response from inside. This silence prompted detectives to obtain a search warrant to enter the home.
Upon entry, members of the Special Assignments Unit discovered the grim reality of the situation. They found Ila Washington deceased, and alongside her was 59-year-old Darryle Mooney, who had died from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The preliminary investigation led detectives to believe that Mooney had shot and killed Washington before taking his own life.
The investigation into the circumstances that led to this murder-suicide is ongoing as authorities work to piece together the final moments of Ila Washington and Darryle Mooney's lives. The incident left neighbors in the otherwise peaceful community shocked and saddened, with some remarking that they had witnessed police at the residence on previous occasions.
