Brendan Blaze Valenzuela was 15 when he was shot and killed in Buckeye, Arizona, in the early morning hours of January 22, 2023. He was with a group of people in the Westpark community when an altercation escalated and a male suspect produced a handgun and shot the teenager. After the shooting the suspect fled in a vehicle. Another person on scene drove Brendan to an area near Crown King Road and 257th Drive and called 911; emergency personnel transported him to a local hospital where he later died.

Buckeye police identified two suspects known to the victim. On February 4, 2023, a 17-year-old male was arrested after a search warrant at a Buckeye home and booked into juvenile detention on suspicion of homicide. The investigation continued and on March 15, 2023, with U.S. Marshals assistance, 19-year-old Michael Michel was arrested in Phoenix after a search warrant and booked into Maricopa County jail on charges including homicide, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and armed robbery, with bond set at $1 million.

If anyone was in the Westpark area that night or has information about the altercation, please share what is known with Buckeye police.