On the night of February 12, 2021, 32-year-old Tyler Helies-Milligan, a male resident of Glendale, Arizona, and a father of three, accompanied his brother on a quick trip to a convenience store at 6700 W. Glendale Avenue. It was a decision that tragically ended his life in a seemingly random act of violence. While in the parking lot, shots were fired from a nearby truck, striking both brothers.
First responders arrived at the scene to find Tyler Helies-Milligan with gunshot wounds; despite their life-saving efforts, he was pronounced deceased in the parking lot. His brother was also shot but survived.
The Glendale Police Department launched an investigation, seeking help from the public to identify the shooter and the suspect vehicle, described as a gray or primer-colored late '90s to early 2000s Chevrolet pickup with distinctive features like back-end damage and a missing front bumper. Surveillance footage from the store captured the incident and images of a person of interest. The driver of the truck, who fired the shots, was described as a Hispanic male in his 20s or 30s with tattoos on both arms. Authorities stated that there appeared to be no prior interaction or altercation between the brothers and the suspect before the shooting.
The investigation led to a breakthrough when, on February 22, Phoenix police located the suspect's vehicle, which had been altered in appearance. Through further detective work, investigators identified 31-year-old Jose Reyes as the primary suspect. At the time of his identification in the homicide case, Reyes was already in custody on several other unrelated violent felony charges since February 19. On March 12, 2021, Jose Reyes was charged with one count of second-degree murder, one count of a drive-by shooting, one count of weapons misconduct by a prohibited possessor, and two counts of felony endangerment in connection with the death of Tyler Helies-Milligan.
