On a Saturday night in February 2015, a burst of violence on the streets of North Phoenix claimed the life of Patrick Michael Eberhardt, a 23-year-old male. Just a month after his birthday, the young man was gunned down while riding his motorcycle near 15th Street and Bell Road. The fatal shooting, which occurred on February 7th, also resulted in the injury of another man who was with Eberhardt at the time.
When police arrived at the scene, they found Eberhardt with two gunshot wounds to his left side; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Patrick was a second-generation member of the Hells Angels motorcycle club, following in the footsteps of his father who was the president of the Cave Creek chapter. Investigators believe the shooting was not a random act of violence, but rather a targeted attack, possibly stemming from a rivalry with another motorcycle club. A police report indicated that one of the two unnamed suspects in the ongoing investigation was a member of the Mongols, a long-time rival of the Hells Angels. The report also noted a shooting incident that had occurred earlier the same day between unidentified bikers and members of the Mongols.
Despite the violent nature of the crime and the potential for escalating tensions between the rival groups, the investigation into Patrick Eberhardt's murder was met with a wall of silence. According to reports, other bikers who were at the scene of the shooting claimed to have no knowledge of what transpired. This lack of cooperation from potential witnesses significantly hampered the police investigation. Phoenix Police declined to comment on the specifics of the ongoing investigation, and as of March 2022, no arrests have been made in connection with the murder. The case remains unsolved, leaving the identity of the assailant or assailants who ended Patrick Michael Eberhardt's life a mystery.
