On January 8, 2017, a shooting in north Phoenix, Arizona, left 44-year-old African-American man Kenneth Lee King mortally wounded. Police were called to the scene early that Sunday after reports of gunfire. When officers arrived, they found King suffering from multiple gunshot wounds; he was rushed to a hospital, but despite emergency medical efforts, he died from his injuries.
According to investigators, attention quickly focused on an 18-year-old suspect, Alejandro Lopez.
Officers conducted a search of the surrounding neighborhood, and information they gathered led them to Lopez, who was found hiding inside a car. He was taken into custody and booked into jail on suspicion of first-degree felony murder in connection with King’s death, as well as on a weapons charge related to being a prohibited possessor. Court paperwork cited by police indicated that Lopez and King may have been involved in a drug deal shortly before the shooting, a circumstance detectives noted as a potential factor in the confrontation, though that allegation remained part of the investigative record rather than a proven fact.
Publicly available information centers on Lopez’s arrest and the initial charges, with no widely reported updates about trial outcomes or final resolution. Crime-focused sites that track homicide cases continue to list King’s killing with the details that he was shot multiple times and that an arrest was made, while still inviting the public to submit any new information about the case, suggesting ongoing community interest in how it ultimately concluded.
In the aftermath of the shooting, family and friends remembered King not just as a victim of gun violence, but as a deeply loved person whose loss left a painful void. Online memorials and a fundraising campaign created to help with funeral and final expenses describe “Kenny” as someone whose energy and smile could light up any room, a kindhearted, loving and funny person who would literally give the last dollar in his pocket to someone in need. He is remembered as an amazing father, son, brother, cousin and friend, and messages left on tribute pages express that he remains loved, missed and never forgotten by those whose lives he touched.
