Ronald Like, a 47-year-old man, was fatally shot in Phoenix on December 29, 2020. The incident occurred in the morning, around 9:15 a.m., in a hotel parking lot near 40th Street and Van Buren. Responding officers found Like with a gunshot wound, and he was transported to a hospital where he later died from his injuries. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Like had moved to the Phoenix area some years prior and worked as a barber.
He was a father of ten children.
The day after the shooting, police arrested 59-year-old Michael Richardson in Mesa in connection with the killing. Richardson is a former professional football player who played for the Chicago Bears and Arizona State University. Investigators believe the motive for the shooting was a dispute over $200 worth of cocaine. Witness statements indicated that Richardson was considered a drug dealer.
Richardson was booked into jail on suspicion of second-degree murder, misconduct involving weapons, and a felony warrant. His bond was set at $1 million. Richardson has a documented criminal history involving drugs, with multiple arrests and convictions. The brother of Ronald Like, Aundrey Skinner, stated that he had lost two other brothers to gun violence and expressed the family's devastation. Skinner also publicly offered forgiveness to Richardson.
