A man was shot to death on a Phoenix street in the pre-dawn hours of Friday, August 15, 2025. Officers responding just before 3:45 a.m. found 41-year-old Gabino Martinez Jr. on the ground in front of a home near 7th and Southern Avenues; fire department personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.

Homicide detectives processed the neighborhood, detained several people briefly for questioning and searched for witnesses and video surveillance; those initially detained were later released. For more than three weeks no public suspect had been named, but investigators eventually identified 33-year-old Luis Alejandro Mejia Mollinedo and arrested him on a charge of murder. Authorities have not released the specific evidence or motive that led to the identification and arrest, and the investigation remains ongoing.

If anyone saw activity near 7th and Southern Avenues that morning or has video or other information, please come forward to investigators.