Two teenagers have been indicted in connection with a September shooting incident at Arizona Mills mall in Tempe. A Maricopa County grand jury yesterday formally charged Gabriel Garcia, 19, and Xavier Padilla, 16, with crimes related to the gunfire that erupted in the busy food court of the mall on September 13.
Tense moments are caught on surveillance footage as shouting erupts before multiple shots ring through the food court. Dazed employees duck for cover behind counters and scamper to safety in the back, where bullet holes would later be found in a restaurant’s signage. Miraculously, no one on either shopper or staff side was injured.
Aggravated assault charges: Garcia faces four counts of aggravated assault, two counts of endangerment, disorderly conduct, and unlawful discharge of a firearm. Padilla was in possession of a firearm as a minor besides him. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said that Padilla is being charged as an adult in light of the severity of the offenses, even if he is a minor.
The case is likely to reach the dock in March 2025 while still under scrutiny of events leading to the shooting by the authorities.
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