A dispute at a north Phoenix apartment complex on the evening of July 12, 2023, ended in gunfire and claimed the life of Sixto Gomez-Zurito. Mr. Gomez-Zurito was a 23-year-old Hispanic man. Just after 6:00 p.m., Phoenix Police officers were dispatched to a shooting call at the complex, located at 14221 North 51st Avenue near Thunderbird Road. Upon arrival, they discovered Mr. Gomez-Zurito suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
He was rushed to a local hospital for emergency treatment, but his injuries proved fatal.
Homicide detectives learned that the shooting stemmed from a physical altercation between Mr. Gomez-Zurito and another man, identified as 23-year-old Ignacio Alvarez. According to court documents, the conflict was reportedly over an incident that had occurred in Mexico involving the victim and Alvarez’s mother and sister.
Witnesses provided investigators with an account of how the confrontation escalated. They stated that during the argument, Alvarez lifted his shirt to show that he had a handgun. The two men then began to fight, and both fell to the ground. During the struggle, the gun came out of its holster. Alvarez then allegedly picked up the weapon, pointed it at Mr. Gomez-Zurito’s chest as he was seated on the ground, and fired.
After the shooting, Alvarez reportedly placed the gun in his mother’s car and waited for law enforcement to arrive. When officers reached the scene, Alvarez acknowledged his involvement in the shooting and was immediately detained. He told police that he had acted in self-defense.
Following an interview with detectives, Ignacio Alvarez was arrested and booked into the Maricopa County jail. He was charged with second-degree murder, and his bond was set at $150,000 cash-only. As of July 2023, the case against him was proceeding through the court system.
