In the early morning hours of October 15, 2023, a fatal encounter unfolded in a Phoenix, Arizona business parking lot, leaving 51-year-old Henry Smalley, a Caucasian male, dead from a gunshot wound. The incident, which took place near 35th Avenue and Van Buren Street, began with a verbal dispute between Smalley and another man, later identified as Ramon Gortarez.
Surveillance footage from a nearby business captured the moments leading up to the tragedy.
Gortarez was seen parking his vehicle and entering the establishment. Shortly after, Smalley arrived and also went inside. A confrontation between the two men ensued inside the business and then spilled out into the parking lot. The video evidence showed Smalley walking towards Gortarez's car. Gortarez then exited his vehicle, and a fatal gunshot was fired. Smalley was seen stumbling away before collapsing in the street.
Initially, investigators believed a cell phone found near Smalley's body belonged to him. However, further examination revealed the phone was registered to Gortarez. This discovery provided a crucial lead for law enforcement, who then obtained a warrant to track the device. The phone's location data led officers to a residence less than half a mile from the crime scene, where Gortarez was believed to be living. When police attempted to make contact, Gortarez had already fled.
An undercover surveillance operation tracked Gortarez to multiple locations, including Tempe Marketplace, where he was observed with a woman before getting into another vehicle and leaving. Ultimately, authorities were able to locate and arrest Ramon Gortarez in connection with the fatal shooting. During questioning, Gortarez claimed that the firearm had discharged accidentally. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding Henry Smalley's death is ongoing.
