Pinal Today

Police in Casa Grande are investigating a shooting that left two young women dead, according to KNXV.

No motive or suspects have been identified.

The shooting occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m. on April 24, KNXV reported. Police responded to a call of shots being fired at the Sonoran Apartments on Pottebaum Avenue in Casa Grande. When police arrived, 18-year-old Leslie Cota was found dead inside a car; 17-year-old Danielle Murrieta was found nearby and later died. Both had been shot an unknown number of times.

“There is no place for this blatant, brazen act of violence in our city,” Casa Grande Mayor Craig McFarland told Pinal Central. “I can assure the perpetrator, we will catch you.” 

Janie Murrieta, Danielle’s mother, pleaded for help from the community.

"Please come forward, tell what you know,” she said to KNXV. “Not just for my daughter, but for the young lady that also passed, because their family deserves answers as much as we do. I'm numb. I don't understand why any of this could happen. She had a beautiful heart inside and out.”

Michael David is assistant manager at Hideout Steakhouse & BBQ, where Murrieta worked. He said she was a lovely person and expressed sadness at her passing.

“It was her first job here,” David PinalCentral. “She began at our restaurant last March. It’s so tragic; her life was about to begin. The one small blessing is that she was able to attend her high school prom last Saturday night, where she looked absolutely beautiful.”

McFarland vowed the police would find a suspect quickly.

“The Casa Grande Police Department have the finest detectives in the state of Arizona,” he said.“I am fully confident that they will find out who did this and they will bring the perpetrator to justice.”

Casa Grande Union High School board member Taylor Kerby issued a statement in a Twitter post.

“My heart breaks for the two young people we lost in Casa Grande during a shooting Sunday night,” Kerby said, as reported by PinalCentral. “My thoughts are with their families and loved ones today.”

Casa Grande police said the case is still under investigation.