Miyka Crawford

Miyka Crawford, a 14-year-old Black female, was remembered by her family as a sweet and outgoing girl who loved making TikTok videos and spending time with her sister. Her promising life was tragically cut short in the early hours of January 19, 2023, when violence erupted outside her home in Coolidge, Arizona.

Just after midnight, a car drove past the residence on East Burke Avenue and unleashed a barrage of gunfire. More than a dozen bullets pierced the front of the home, tearing through the living room and bedrooms where Miyka and her family were. Investigators later recovered 26 shell casings from both 9mm and .40 caliber rounds on the street. Miyka was struck in the head by the gunfire. First responders rushed her to Florence Anthem Hospital, but she did not survive her injuries.

The Coolidge Police Department, with assistance from multiple other law enforcement agencies, immediately launched an intensive investigation. Detectives used surveillance footage from the area to identify the suspect vehicle as a stolen blue Kia sedan. The car was later found abandoned in the town of Gilbert, leading investigators closer to those responsible for the senseless attack.

Within a week of the shooting, authorities arrested four suspects. They were identified as 19-year-old Derrick Manual of Gilbert, 17-year-old Eloi Uwizeyera Jr. of Gilbert, 15-year-old Deanzelo Thomas of Laveen, and 14-year-old Victoria Paige Alley of Casa Grande. According to court documents, one of the teens told investigators they had targeted the house in retaliation for recently being “jumped” by someone who lived there.

All four suspects faced charges of first-degree murder, drive-by shooting, and multiple counts of aggravated assault. Court records confirmed that the three juvenile suspects—Uwizeyera, Thomas, and Alley—would be charged and tried as adults alongside Manual. Following their arrests in January 2023, all four were indicted on the charges, and the case began moving forward into trial proceedings.