A man in Navajo County was arrested on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder and assault after police say he shot a woman in the face during an apparent burglary on Dec. 2.
The incident began to unfold when officers from the Snowflake-Taylor Police Department responded to a report of a burglary that turned into a shooting around 6 a.m.
When officers got to the scene near Main Street and W 7th S Street in Snowflake, they found the 39-year-old woman and her parents. She was rushed to Summit Regional Hospital in Show Low.
As for the suspect, officers began searching for a man described as wearing a black sweater and white sweatpants. Soon, a man came out of a nearby apartment and said his roommate was involved and was inside the apartment.
By 7:30 a.m., officers had the apartment surrounded, evacuated nearby residents, closed the street and began commanding the suspect to come out.
Just after 8 a.m., 18-year-old Joel Omari Hernandez surrendered. Police say he didn’t tell them what led up to the shooting. Hernandez was booked into jail on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and first-degree burglary.
A 9mm handgun was found inside Hernandez’s apartment, police say. As for the victim’s condition, police say she was flown to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix and is in critical condition.
Source: Fox10 Phoenix
