In the pre-dawn hours of April 14, 2023, the quiet of a west Phoenix neighborhood was shattered by the sound of gunfire. At approximately 4:00 a.m., officers from the Phoenix Police Department were dispatched to the vicinity of 83rd Avenue and McDowell Road after receiving reports of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered a man lying with a gunshot wound.
Responding firefighters pronounced him dead at the scene.
The victim was identified as 30-year-old Cesar Hernandez, a Hispanic male. The incident was quickly deemed a homicide, and an investigation was launched to piece together the events that led to the fatal shooting. For two days, the circumstances surrounding Hernandez's death remained a mystery to the public as detectives worked the case.
A significant breakthrough came on April 16, 2023, when authorities made an arrest in connection with the killing. The suspect was identified as 21-year-old Eduardo Flores Alvarez. He was taken into custody and subsequently booked on multiple felony charges, including murder. While an arrest has been made, the investigation into the death of Cesar Hernandez continues as authorities work to uncover the motive and the full scope of the events that transpired on that early morning.
