In the early morning hours of December 11, 2021, Phoenix police responded to a reported traffic collision near 13th Avenue and Madison Street at about 3:45 a.m. Officers found the vehicle off the road and its driver, 69-year-old John Matthew Scales, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Paramedics transported Scales to a local hospital in critical condition.

Scales died of his injuries on December 13, 2021, and the incident was classified as a homicide. Detectives canvassed the area for witnesses and have been investigating the predawn shooting. No suspects have been publicly identified and no arrests have been announced.

Anyone with information about what happened near 13th Avenue and Madison Street on the morning of December 11, 2021, is asked to contact the Phoenix Police Department.