In the winter of 2018, a burst of violence in a west Phoenix neighborhood claimed the life of 21-year-old Francisco Javier Galindo. The Hispanic man was one of three individuals fatally shot on February 21, 2018, in an incident that culminated in a confrontation with law enforcement.
The events unfolded in the afternoon near 35th Avenue and Thomas Road when Phoenix police responded to a call about a man firing a rifle.
As officers arrived at the residence, the suspect, later identified as 39-year-old Edward Hallinan, drove by in his truck and fired at them. This initiated a shootout between Hallinan and the police.
While the confrontation with Hallinan was taking place, a police helicopter discovered three gunshot victims in the vicinity. Francisco Javier Galindo was identified as one of the deceased, along with 26-year-old Vidal Hernandez-Gutierrez and another man. Tragically, Galindo and the other victims were caught in the violent spree that preceded the police engagement.
The suspect, Edward Hallinan, was injured during the exchange of gunfire with an officer. Following the shootout that brought the neighborhood to a standstill, it was determined that Hallinan had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The investigation by the Phoenix Police Department sought to piece together the sequence of events that led to the deadly encounter and the tragic deaths of three innocent people.
