Cherokee Love was 18 years old, a male identified in Spanish-language reporting as African American, when he was found fatally shot in a west Phoenix neighborhood in early March 2016. On the night of March 1, 2016, Phoenix police were dispatched to what was initially described as a call of “unknown trouble” near the intersection of 83rd Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road, a largely residential area with adjacent greenbelt space in the city's west side.
Officers arriving at the scene discovered Cherokee lying in a nearby greenbelt area with at least one apparent gunshot wound. Despite emergency response, he was pronounced dead at the scene, and detectives quickly classified the case as a homicide.
Subsequent coverage and cold-case summaries describe how the discovery of Cherokee's body late that Tuesday night marked the abrupt end of a young life that had only just entered adulthood. News reports emphasized that he was found outdoors rather than in a home or vehicle, suggesting that whatever happened occurred in or spilled out into the open area along the greenbelt near the busy intersection. Investigators with the Phoenix Police Department launched a homicide investigation, documenting the scene and canvassing the neighborhood for witnesses or surveillance footage that might shed light on how he came to be shot and left in that location. Silent Witness, the local anonymous tip line, was immediately brought into the case, with authorities publicly urging anyone with information—no matter how minor it might seem—to come forward.
Over time, the case has come to be treated as an unsolved killing in public databases and cold-case listings. Crime summaries and cold-case tracking sites list Cherokee's date of death and the location in Phoenix, noting only that he died from gunfire and that the manner of death is officially recorded as homicide. These summaries echo the original police and media accounts: Cherokee was found shot in the greenbelt near 83rd Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road, died at the scene, and left behind unanswered questions about who was responsible and why the shooting occurred. Community discussions in online forums linked to the case reflect ongoing concern and sympathy for his family and friends, with posters repeatedly expressing frustration that such a young victim has not yet received justice.
Publicly available records do not describe any suspect or suspects by name, nor do they provide a detailed suspect description. In the initial news reporting, Phoenix police stated that no suspect information was being released, and later case summaries simply restate that the investigation is ongoing without mentioning arrests, charges, or a person of interest. As of the most recent online updates, Cherokee Love's killing remains officially unsolved, with authorities continuing to ask that anyone with information contact Silent Witness or the Phoenix Police Department in the hope that new leads might finally identify who shot him and bring some measure of closure to those who knew him.
