Arizona Shooting Kills 2, Injures 5; Suspect Remains At Large

A tragic Arizona shooting on Saturday evening left two individuals dead and five others injured, as per a statement from the Yuma Police Department, KOLD reported.

Teens were reportedly among the victims, as officers responded to a call of gunfire at around 10:54 pm local time at the 3800 block of South J Edward Drive. Upon arrival, the police found several individuals suffering from gunshot wounds.

Two males, aged 19 and 20, were transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center but succumbed to their injuries.

Another male teenager, aged 16, with critical injuries was initially taken to Yuma Regional Medical Center and then airlifted to Phoenix.

Meanwhile, the other victims, aged between 15, 16, 18, and 19, were reported to have non-life-threatening injuries and received treatment at YRMC.

Several off-duty police officers were in the area then and assisted. The Yuma police have launched an investigation, and no suspects have been apprehended.

The Arizona Shooting Incident

The border community of Yuma, with a population of 97,000, is experiencing a significant surge of migrants, with an Arizona shooting occurring amidst this situation.

Yuma's Republican mayor, Douglas Nicholls, appeared on Fox News last Friday to express his concern that Border Patrol had begun releasing migrants onto the streets one day after Title 42 expired.

Border Patrol agents in the Yuma sector made a near-record number of interdictions, with 1,550 people being stopped and searched on a recent day. Due to the overwhelming number of migrants, some are being released onto the streets, with no aid-providing releases to NGOs.

Nicholls told Fox News's Neil Cavuto that around a hundred people were released in the morning, and an additional 150 were expected by the afternoon.

Nicholls criticized the lack of response from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to address the humanitarian concerns raised by the influx of newcomers.

In a letter addressed to President Biden, Nicholls requested him to declare a national emergency in response to the migrant crisis at the US-Mexico border.

He urged Biden to defend American communities susceptible to harmful repercussions of the unrestrained influx of migrants into this country.

Nicholls pointed out that while Arizona, Yuma County, and other nearby municipalities had already declared emergencies, the president had not.

The mayor stressed the dire situation in Yuma and other border towns, citing a lack of commitment by the federal government to offer practical policy under current immigration laws.

He noted that many migrants are killed or injured on their journey across the border due to the activities of drug and human trafficking organizations, which is a high price to pay for illicit activities.

It Is Not Clear if Arizona Shooting Is Linked to the Recent Migrant Crossings

In the wake of the expiration of Title 42, which had been implemented to limit the spread of COVID-19 and allowed for the release of hundreds of migrants, authorities have recently let out 300 undocumented migrants in the border city.

Whether this incident is connected to the recent surge in migrant crossings remains unknown.

However, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has reportedly housed up to 28,000 migrants at its facilities, well above capacity, because of the relaxation.

The mayor of Yuma, Arizona, stated Thursday that migrants who have not yet been thoroughly processed will be released in the city by Customs and Border Protection.

Three white buses with their windows covered arrived near Yuma's airport at the Yuma Public Safety Training Facility to release migrants Friday afternoon.

Although the release site was kept secret, DailyMail.com was present to cover the event, and the briefing document said that 141 people were released.

People were seen getting off the buses and ushered to a holding area with shade to wait out the 96-degree heat. It is believed that from there, buses will transport them to Phoenix.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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