Three suspects arrested after 19-year-old fatally shot outside downtown Phoenix hotel

Phoenix Police: Man, 19, dies after being shot near 1st Avenue and Van Buren Street

Police say just because the party was close to the ASU downtown campus, investigators don't believe it was connected to the university.

PHOENIX - Phoenix Police have arrested three suspects after a man was shot near 1st Avenue and Van Buren Street on the early morning hours of Aug. 22.

Elijah Terrell McCarthy, 19, later died at the hospital.

The shooting happened at a party in Westin Hotel, police say. Reports say he went outside to meet someone when he was shot. He ran to 1st and Polk Streets, where police found him collapsed.

"While this incident occurred in close proximity to Arizona State University, this incident did not occur on the campus. In addition, there is no evidence that would connect this incident, or the party McCarthy was attending, to ASU," the police department said.

Police have arrested Jason Diaz, Juan Guillermo and Fazon Guillermo in connection to the shooting.

Two attendees got into a verbal argument, and one of them called her boyfriend, Fazon, to come and "shoot everyone," according to a witness in the police report.

Police say the three men came to the hotel armed. Fazon told police he had heard gunshots and fired "warning shots" toward a group standing outside of the hotel while chasing them, striking Elijah McCarthy.

All three face first-degree murder charges.

Loved ones hold a vigil

On Aug. 24, family and friends held a vigil to remember McCarthy.

His family said he was a kind and fun guy and that he loved to be around people.

Most of all, they say he is too young to be gone.

McCarthy's brother and sister, Eddie and Shirley, say it's heartbreaking to know that he died alone and believe this happened because he got involved in the wrong crowd.

"We lost a part of our family. He lived to laugh. He loved to see people happy. He giggled a lot. He is very funny," his brother Eddie said.