Zachary Hawthorn, 55, was found shot in the roadway near 316 South 9th Avenue in Phoenix in the early morning hours of Sunday, October 31, 2021. Officers answered a call around 2:00 a.m. near Ninth Avenue and Jackson Street and discovered Hawthorn suffering from at least one gunshot wound. He was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead a short time later; the case was treated as a homicide.

Hawthorn, sometimes spelled Hawthorne in records, was a Memphis native who served in the Army National Guard, graduated from Melrose High School, and later worked in warehouses until health issues forced retirement. Loved ones remembered him as a devoted father to his daughter RaSheena and a grandfather to three grandchildren. A Silent Witness flyer listed the suspect as unknown and offered a reward for information; community memorials recorded tributes to him.

By November 3, 2021, police identified and arrested 56-year-old Anthony Dickerson on suspicion of second-degree murder and related felony charges. What led to the confrontation near Ninth Avenue and Jackson remains unclear — did anyone see or hear what happened that night?