Police said the shooter was gone before officers reached the complex near Greenway Road late Wednesday.
PHOENIX, AZ — Three juvenile boys were seriously wounded in a shooting at a north Phoenix apartment complex late Wednesday night, and investigators found a red sedan at the scene marked by multiple bullet holes after the gunman fled, police said.
The shooting added to a tense overnight stretch in north Phoenix and left detectives trying to sort out what happened, who opened fire and whether the victims were inside or near the damaged car when shots were fired. Officers were called to the area near 27th or 28th Street and Greenway Road around 10 p.m. Wednesday. By early Thursday, police had confirmed that all three victims were boys and that all three had serious injuries.
According to Phoenix police, officers were sent to the apartment complex after reports of a shooting and found two boys who had each been shot at least once. A third boy with a gunshot wound had already been taken to a hospital before officers arrived. Television video from the parking lot showed a red sedan with several visible bullet holes, including damage along the side of the vehicle. Police said the suspect had left before officers got there. In its initial account, the department released only a narrow set of facts: three juvenile victims, serious injuries, a vehicle damaged by gunfire and an active search for the shooter. Officials did not publicly identify the boys by age or name, and they did not say whether the victims knew the shooter.
By Thursday morning, investigators still had not said what led to the gunfire. Police also had not explained whether the shots were fired from another vehicle, from within the apartment complex parking area or from a nearby street. That left several key questions unresolved, including whether the shooting was targeted, whether more than one gun was involved and whether anyone else was in the car when the bullets hit. ABC15 reported that police were looking into the shooting near 28th Street and Greenway Road, while Arizona’s Family placed the scene near 27th Street and Greenway Road, a small difference that can happen in the first hours of a breaking investigation as crews work from a broad area rather than a final police diagram. What remained clear across reports was the time, the location corridor, the number of victims and the seriousness of the injuries.
The scene unfolded in a busy north Phoenix area lined with apartments, neighborhood streets and major east-west traffic along Greenway Road. In the first hours after the shooting, police kept their work largely inside the apartment parking lot, and authorities said there was no broad traffic impact. For residents, the image that stood out was the red sedan left with repeated bullet strikes, a visible sign of how concentrated the gunfire appeared to be. North Phoenix has seen other shootings involving teens and vehicles in recent years, including earlier cases near Greenway Road, but police had not said Thursday that this case matched any known pattern. With so little released about motive or circumstances, investigators appeared to be starting with basic steps common in early gun violence cases: securing the lot, documenting shell casings and vehicle damage, tracing the victims’ movements and looking for surveillance footage from the complex and nearby streets.
As of Thursday, no arrest had been announced and no charges had been filed publicly in connection with the shooting. Police had not released a suspect description, vehicle description or timeline of the moments just before the gunfire. They also had not said whether detectives believed the shooter acted alone. In serious injury shootings involving juveniles, investigators typically work to interview witnesses, speak with surviving victims when doctors allow it and compare physical evidence with any camera footage from homes, apartments or businesses nearby. In this case, officials had not announced any court hearing, charging document or briefing beyond the initial public statements. The next clear milestone will likely come when Phoenix police identify a suspect, release a more detailed incident summary or update the conditions of the three boys. Until then, the case remains open and many of the central facts are still being established.
What neighbors saw in the parking lot early Thursday was a scene that looked abrupt and unfinished: patrol vehicles, crime scene tape and a passenger car left pocked by gunfire. Reporters at the scene said police activity was concentrated in the lot rather than across surrounding roads, suggesting investigators were focusing on a contained section of the complex. Police said only that the injuries were serious, a phrase that signaled the violence of the attack without offering details on whether the wounds were life-threatening. Just as important was what officers did not say. They did not describe an argument, a chase or an exchange of gunfire. They did not say whether the boys were standing outside, sitting in the car or trying to leave when shots were fired. For families in the complex and across the neighborhood, those unanswered questions likely matter as much as the confirmed facts.
By Thursday afternoon, Phoenix police were still investigating the shooting near Greenway Road and had not announced an arrest. The next update is expected when detectives release more details about the victims, the suspect or the circumstances that led to the gunfire.
Author note: Last updated March 12, 2026.