A verbal dispute inside a downtown Phoenix motel ended in the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Zykel-Amani Woodard on the evening of February 28, 2024. The shooting occurred shortly before 6:15 p.m. at a motel near 24th and Jackson Streets. Responding officers found Woodard with a gunshot wound; he was treated by fire department medics, taken to a nearby hospital, and later died of his injuries.

Police say the other man fled on foot from the scene but was located and detained nearby. After being interviewed, the suspect told detectives he had acted in self-defense and was released from custody while the investigation continues. Detectives report the shooting followed a verbal argument between the two men and the case remains open pending a final charging decision.

If anyone witnessed the disturbance at the motel near 24th and Jackson Streets that evening or has information about what led to the shooting, please share what is known with investigators.