4 teens arrested in connection with robbery that killed teen in El Mirage

EL MIRAGE, AZ (AZ Family) — Nearly two months after a 15-year-old boy was shot and killed, the El Mirage Police Department said officers have arrested four teenagers in the crime.

Joey Hernandez-Silvas, 18, Fernando Avila, 17, Marcos Martinez, 16, and Joshua Ochoa, 16, were taken into custody Friday.

Police say Hernandez and his accomplices planned to rob a Surprise resident who wanted to trade a handgun for another handgun.

However, they were unable to find this person in Surprise and tracked him down to El Mirage and learned that the gun had already been traded to the 15-year-old victim.

Police said the group hatched a plan to lure the teen on April 29 to the area of ​​Soledad Street and Cesar Chavez Road and rob him. The area is located southeast of Thunderbird and El Mirage roads.

Police said that during the robbery, Martinez shot the 15-year-old multiple times as he turned to run around 9 p.m.

The group fled before the police arrived.

Police found the boy face down in the yard of a house. He was taken to hospital, where he later died.

Hernandez, Martinez, Avila and Ochoa were charged with first-degree murder and robbery.

“This is a tragedy that resulted in the loss of the life of a young member of the community. The family affected by this act of willful violence is in our thoughts and prayers and will not soon be forgotten. Efforts to bring violent suspects to justice were a priority for my detectives and I,” El Mirage Police Chief Paul Marzocca said in an emailed statement.

The Arizona family has contacted the Maricopa County District Attorney's Office to see if the three juvenile suspects will be charged as adults.

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