Buckeye target shooters react to stray-bullet death

As Interstate 10 treks west past Phoenix, then Avondale, then Goodyear, strip malls and tract homes are replaced by undeveloped land and nature paths.

It's a point of pride for Buckeye, the Valley's westernmost city. Outdoor enthusiasts travel from all around to take advantage of the untapped desert, where paved streets return to dirt roads and trails wind around the mountainous terrain.

It's where hundreds of target shooters and ATV riders recreate every weekend. It's also where 24-year-old Kami Gilstrap was struck by a stray bullet Sunday that ended her life.

About 24 hours later, bullets rang out roughly a mile northwest of the Miller Road exit of Interstate 10, as 50 or so shooters fired at targets, cans, boxes and jugs of water.

Most of the shooters lined up along the southern side of Tonopah Salome Highway — which is a dirt road — and stationed their targets against a mountain that blocked Interstate 10 from sight.

The shooters carried a variety of firearms, from small Glocks to tricked-out AR-15s. Thousands of shotgun shells, used paper targets and empty ammunition boxes littered the one-mile stretch where the shooters were posted.

Most hadn't heard about Gilstrap's death and said they were confused about how it could've happened.

"That's just really unlucky," said Seth Layne, 21.

Adam Ortega brought his friend, wife, 16-year-old brother, 9-month-old daughter and about 10 different firearms out to the Buckeye desert, as he often does.

"There's a little more freedom out here than at a shooting range," he said.

ALLHANDS: Kami Gilstrap's senseless death should anger all shooters

Ortega and his group were puzzled by the death. He said almost everyone shoots toward the mountain where there's no risk of hitting someone.

"You just have to use common sense and make sure you have a nice background," Ortega said.

While the vast majority of people were stationed on the south side of Tonopah Salome Highway, there were at least three groups of shooters on the north side of the highway.

Some of them were shooting toward the highway, while others shot near the trails where people were using all-terrain vehicles.

"It kind of ticked me off," said Jesus Cardenas, referencing the gunshots emanating from the other side of a small hill just north of the highway. "I want to be sure they're not shooting toward me."

Alex Garcia said he's been riding ATVs north of the highway for eight years. He said he feels unsafe "all the time." He often hears bullets whistling past his vehicle, he said.

"It's gotten a lot worse," he said.

Buckeye Police Department has not identified the exact location of Gilstrap's death. Target shooting in Buckeye is allowed in areas more than one mile from an occupied structure.

Rodrigo Flores said Gilstrap's death likely occurred on the north side of the highway, where people routinely shoot too close to the trails. He said he's seen bullets fly by his vehicle and ricochet off of rocks.

"They shouldn't be shooting over there. They know people are quading," Flores said.

His friend, Ivan Lopez, brought an ATV out to the desert Monday but stayed on the highway.

"I don't want to go out there," Lopez said, motioning toward the gunshots on the other side of the road.

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