Family looks for answers in deadly south Phoenix shooting in 2022; reward upped to $12K
PHOENIX - A south Phoenix family is hoping to find answers in a deadly shooting that happened in a neighborhood near South Mountain in August 2022.
One of the sisters of the victim spoke on Aug. 22 about how a recent donation may help push someone to talk.
What started as a party near 27th Street and South Mountain Road turned into a triple shooting that killed two 21-year-old cousins and injured a third person.
Despite the shooting taking place in a crowded setting, there has never been an arrest in the case.
"It’s like living that first day that we find out over, over and over again," Xena Shikenjanski said.
Triple shooting in south Phoenix leaves 2 dead, no arrests made
Three victims were involved in the shooting in a neighborhood near 24th Street and South Mountain.
Nearly two years after Robert Puentes and his cousin Xavier Martinez were shot and killed at a party, their families continue to search for answers.
Puentes' sister, Shikenjanski, says he had a bright future, but now both young men will forever be 21.
"The hardest part of these last two years is just all the things he’s missed out on," Shikenjanski said. "His siblings graduating, his nieces starting school, two birthdays."
Now, on Puentes' birthday, his sister shared that a close family friend recently donated $10,000 to the reward for information related to the shooting.
"That upped the reward to $12,000, so we’re just trying to encourage those people that were there that know something but don’t want to speak out or don’t want to be labeled a snitch and what not, to say something even if it’s anonymous," Shikenjanski said.
She says her family doesn’t want to spend another one of his birthdays seeking closure.
"Do the right thing. Put themselves in our shoes, you know? This could be their brother, their cousin, their son. There’s parents out there that knew that their kids weren’t home that day or young adults, and they knew they were at a party. Encourage your kids or whoever you know to speak up," Shikenjanski pleaded.
If you do have any information that could help solve this case, reach out to Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS or Phoenix Police's non-emergency line at 602-262-6151.