Teen’s dying words help solve his own murder, investigators say

PHOENIX (KPHO/Gray News) — A 17-year-old’s dying words to first responders became the foundation of the case against two people accused of killing him.

Joshua Armstrong and Luis Gonzalez, both 18, were arrested on charges of first-degree murder and armed robbery.

Their arrests are connected to the killing of Sincere D’Andre Venson. Authorities said Venson gave first responders critical details, such as a suspect’s name, car description and phone number, that helped solve his own murder.

Phoenix police said the shooting occurred just after midnight Tuesday at a community park near Magnolia Street.

When officers arrived, they found Venson in the sand at the playground, clinging to life with multiple gunshot wounds.

As first responders treated him, authorities said that Venson told them Armstrong was the man he believed shot him, and that he didn’t know who else was involved.

Venson also told police Armstrong had been driving a black BMW before the shooting, and he gave police his phone to confirm Armstrong’s phone number.

The teen was taken to Banner University Medical Center, where he died of his injuries about an hour after the shooting, police said.

Using a metal detector, authorities found shell casings in the playground’s sand area. A second phone was also found in the nearby grass, matching the number listed as Armstrong’s contact in Venson’s phone.

Police said surveillance footage from the area showed a group that included Venson, Armstrong and Gonzalez walking toward the park before shots were fired.

Armstrong and Gonzalez could be seen running, with police saying that Gonzalez appeared to be carrying a gun, before they got back into a dark sedan and drove off.

Investigators said they received a break in the case the following day, solidifying Armstrong and Gonzalez as suspects.

On Wednesday, a defense attorney contacted the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to report that his client had been at the park that night and saw what happened, but he had been receiving threats since, warning him not to talk to police.

A second witness also spoke to police. Both witnesses identified Armstrong and Gonzalez in photo lineups, investigators noted.

One of the witnesses said they’d only just met Venson that night and described the shooting as unprovoked, saying Armstrong had been joking around with Venson like a sibling beforehand, with no argument or dispute between them.

According to the witnesses, the group had gone to the park to hang out before Armstrong asked one witness to walk to his car to charge a vape, and the second witness went along.

As they walked away, the witnesses said Armstrong began shooting Venson before they began running to the car.

Once everyone was back in the vehicle, witnesses said Armstrong told the group he’d “emptied his gun” and killed Venson, then told Gonzalez to check the victim’s waistband.

Investigators later found a photo on Venson’s phone, taken a day or two before the shooting, showing him holding what appeared to be that same gun seen in the surveillance video.

Witnesses said the group later dropped off Armstrong and Gonzalez in a friend’s neighborhood, and Armstrong then went into hiding at his father’s home.

Police also learned a third man, Evan Cisneros, had called the witnesses to say he had the murder weapon and that Armstrong still had the second gun, the one taken from Venson’s waistband.

In an interview after his arrest, police said Gonzalez admitted he was at the park that night. He said the group was about to leave when Armstrong pulled out a gun, pointed it at Venson, demanded his gun and opened fire.

Gonzalez continued, saying that Armstrong told him to grab the gun, so he took the silver-and-black firearm from Venson as he lay on the ground and ran. That gun was later found in a bag Armstrong had at the time of his arrest, police said.

Armstrong told detectives he had lost his phone at the park and returned to look for it, which is when he saw police at the scene.

He denied knowing Venson and did not explain why the shooting happened. When told that Venson had identified him by name to first responders, police say Armstrong asked for an attorney, ending the interview.

While executing a search warrant, investigators found a black handgun with a red grip between the driver’s seat and the middle seat of the Ford Escape. It’s believed to be the murder weapon.

Gonzalez and Armstrong were each booked into the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office with bond set at $1 million apiece. It is unclear if Cisneros faces any charges.