In the early hours of April 15, 2021, a tragedy unfolded in the parking garage of the Wild Horse Pass Casino near Chandler, Arizona, forever changing the lives of those involved. Phillip Bachelder, a 52-year-old male, was discovered on the third floor of the garage with multiple gunshot wounds. Gila River Police Department officers, responding to reports of gunfire around 2 a.m., arrived to a chaotic scene.
Upon their arrival, officers witnessed a man, later identified as 37-year-old
Jonathan Lorenz, firing at a woman who was attempting to flee. An exchange of gunfire between Lorenz and the officers ensued, but thankfully, no one was hit during the shootout. After a brief pursuit, Lorenz was apprehended by the police. Tragically, Phillip Bachelder was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman he was with, and the two officers involved, were not physically injured.
Investigations revealed a grim backstory to the violent encounter. Lorenz had been reportedly stalking his ex-girlfriend, the woman with Bachelder, even showing up at her house unannounced and vandalizing her car. On that fateful night, Bachelder had gone to the casino to help this woman, who was the sister of his best friend and in distress. It is believed that Lorenz had tracked the woman to the casino using a GPS device and had been lying in wait in the bed of a pickup truck. When he saw her with Bachelder, he emerged and began shooting. Family members of Bachelder remember him as a hero, a man who had dedicated his life to helping others and who, in his final moments, stepped in front of the bullets to save another's life. Jonathan Lorenz was subsequently charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault.
