Third suspect taken into custody in Casa Grande shooting that wounded a 10-year-old girl

CASA GRANDE, AZ — Casa Grande Police on Friday confirmed that all three suspects in a shooting that wounded a 10-year-old girl Monday night are now in custody.

Detectives arrested two juvenile males, ages 15 and 16, Tuesday afternoon on multiple charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The department identified both teens as shooters. A third suspect, Francisco Solano Jr., 18, was being sought and described as armed and dangerous. Police said he was taken into custody Friday.

Officers responded to the scene near Casa Grande Avenue and McMurray Boulevard just before 7 p.m. Monday. Authorities found the scene in front of the Casa Grande Union High School District office. Shortly after, officers were called to a nearby convenience store for a report of a 10-year-old girl suffering from a gunshot wound to her shoulder, which detectives said was connected to the original scene. The child was taken to the hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Police Chief Mark McCrory released a statement Wednesday, saying, "The reckless discharge of firearms in our community puts innocent lives at risk. In this case, a 10-year-old girl was struck by gunfire, and countless other members of our community were in the area when this shooting occurred."

McCrory credited community cooperation for the swift progress of the case. He said witness statements and video provided by residents, combined with footage captured by the department's Safe City technology, gave detectives critical evidence. "That cooperation between our community, our Officers, and our Detectives is what helped bring us to this point so quickly," he said.

Police are referring proposed charges against both teens to the Pinal County Attorney's Office for review. For each teen, proposed charges include five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, five counts of endangerment, one count of discharging a firearm at a residential structure, four counts of discharging a firearm at a non-residential structure, one count of discharging a firearm at an occupied structure in furtherance of a criminal street gang, and several weapons-related counts, including disorderly conduct with a weapon, minor possession of firearms, and unlawful discharge of a firearm in city limits. The 16-year-old also faces a proposed misconduct with weapons count; police allege he was a prohibited possessor.

Before the arrests, police had released two videos showing four people they asked the public to help identify. The arrest announcement did not say whether any of the four are among the suspects.