A fight over an unpaid debt in a Mesa bar and grill ended with a man dead. Al-Hajjii Khaliph-Jamez Brooks, 42, was shot and killed on February 19, 2023, in the restaurant’s parking lot near Country Club Drive and Brown Road after an argument over money. Witnesses say the dispute began inside the establishment and continued as Brooks walked to his car; the suspect allegedly followed him and opened fire.

Police arrested 35-year-old Darren Wayne Harper Jr. three days later. While in custody he reportedly admitted being at the restaurant and having a financial dispute with Brooks but denied firing the weapon. The argument is said to have involved money Brooks owed to Harper’s girlfriend. Harper was booked into the Maricopa County jail on charges connected with Brooks’s death.

Who knew Al-Hajjii Brooks or has information about the events that night?