Worker killed in shooting at central Phoenix Burger King, suspect arrested: police

PHOENIX - Phoenix Police officials say a suspect has been arrested in connection to a shooting at a fast-food restaurant that left a woman dead and a teen hurt.

According to Phoenix Police Sergeant Phil Krynsky, officers responded at 9 p.m. on April 12 to a shooting call at a Burger King in the area of 19th Avenue and Buckeye Road.

"When they arrived, they found a woman and a juvenile female inside the business suffering from gunshot wounds," Sgt. Phil Krynsky said.

The woman, identified as 25-year-old Maria Ledesma Ramirez, died at the scene. The teen was rushed to a hospital with serious injuries. She is currently in stable condition.

The suspect fled the scene after the shooting.

According to investigators, officers learned that the victims were Burger King employees and the suspect in the shooting, 29-year-old Gerardo Vazquez Alvarez, was Ramirez's ex-boyfriend.

Detectives were able to find Alvarez in an area south of Phoenix, and he was taken into custody.

"Vasquez Alvarez was interviewed and admitted to his involvement in the shooting," Krynsky said. "He will be booked into the Maricopa County Jail for multiple felony charges to include First Degree Murder and Attempted Murder."

He is being held on a $1 million cash bond.

As the investigation continues, people in the area where the shooting happened are speaking out.

"It was employees, workers that it happened to, and that's even scarier because you can go and order, and you don't know if the employee has some kind of problem with her husband or the man has a problem with his wife. They're going to come shoot at you when you're ordering," said Michelle Ayon, who lives in the area. "It's scary now. I don't know if I want to go order there anymore."

Area where the shooting happened: