In Mesa, Arizona, on the evening of March 19, 2021, a dispute over a pair of counterfeit AirPods escalated into a fatal encounter for 19-year-old Garry Anau. A few days prior, Garry had purchased what he believed to be genuine AirPods from 21-year-old Kenyada Bass. Upon discovering the headphones were fake, Garry, accompanied by his cousins, arranged to meet with Bass to get a refund.
The meeting took a violent turn when Bass brandished a handgun.
A physical struggle ensued, during which the gun discharged. Both Garry Anau and Kenyada Bass sustained gunshot wounds. Emergency services responded to the scene at 843 S. Longmore, and both men were transported to a local hospital. Garry Anau succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased early the following morning. Bass was treated for a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the foot and survived.
Following an investigation into the shooting, Mesa police arrested Kenyada Bass on March 23, 2021, after he was released from the hospital. He faced charges of manslaughter and aggravated assault in connection with the death of Garry Anau. Garry’s family described him as a hardworking and devout young man who was a straight-A student with aspirations of becoming a sports reporter. He was actively involved in his church and a non-profit organization that supported his family's ancestral home in Tonga. His parents expressed profound grief over the loss of their son, who they said had a bright future ahead of him.
