Guadalupe Mercado, 44, known as Lupe to friends and remembered as a jokester who would help anyone, was shot and killed inside a 7-Eleven near 75th Avenue and Camelback Road in west Phoenix just after midnight, around 12:30 a.m., on December 27, 2022. He worked at a local tire shop and was a familiar presence in his community. Phoenix Fire Department personnel pronounced him dead at the scene after officers found him suffering from a gunshot wound.

Phoenix police reviewed the store’s surveillance footage, identified a suspect, and later served a search warrant that led to an arrest. The person taken into custody is a teenage male whose name has not been released because he is a minor; he was accused of several felony charges, including murder, and referred to Juvenile Community Corrections. As of January 2023 detectives were still trying to determine what led to the shooting and a possible motive.

If anyone has information about the events that night, please contact the Phoenix Police Department or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.