Murder suspect arrested after surviving bullet in wild family shootout that left man dead in northwest Arizona
Emergency vehicles illuminate Coral Isle Drive in Bullhead City as investigators process vehicles near a residence following a deadly shooting. (Code3News)
BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. - One person is dead, another is in critical condition and two more have been arrested following a family altercation turned violent gunfight broke out in a Mohave County neighborhood on the evening of Sept. 24.
Julio Cesar Quijada, 26 of Bullhead City (Bullhead City Police Department)
Jaquim Adoraim Juarez (Bullhead City Police Department)
What we know:
Officers responded to reports of multiple gunshots in the 1800 block of Coral Isle Drive around 7 p.m., where they discovered three men with gunshot wounds outside a residence. Detectives identified one of the wounded men, 26-year-old Julio Cesar Quijada of Bullhead City, as the primary aggressor. Accused shooter Jaquim Adoraim Juarez, 20, of Bullhead City, later turned himself in to police on Sept. 30.
According to the Bullhead City Police Department, 911 calls reporting gunfire came in at 6:56 p.m. First responders pronounced 22-year-old Kenneth Schmidt of Kingman dead at the scene, where a Code3News drone captured footage of the body in a driveway, after he suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his chest, back and head.
A second victim, a 23-year-old man who has not been identified, was airlifted to a Las Vegas hospital in "critical condition." He remained in the hospital on Oct. 1 but is expected to survive, police said.
Quijada was transported to Western Arizona Regional Medical Center for a gunshot wound to his stomach area. Following his treatment and release, he was arrested for second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, disorderly conduct with a deadly weapon and unlawful discharge of a firearm within city limits. Juarez was arrested a week later for attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault, disorderly conduct with a deadly weapon and misconduct involving a weapon.
Both were booked at the Mohave County Jail in Kingman.
Dig deeper:
Detectives determined the shooting occurred between family members. During the confrontation, Quijada reportedly fired several rounds at the two victims before Juarez returned fire at Quijada.
What they're saying:
"Juarez fled the scene of the shooting prior to police arrival and tossed the gun he used in the assault," police spokesperson Emily Fromelt said on Oct. 1. "The firearm was recovered by police."
Map of where the shooting occurred:
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from the Bullhead City Police Department and a Code3News interview with a witness at the scene.