Life in a Phoenix Neighborhood Tormented by a Serial Shooter Seven unsolved homicides by the same mysterious gunman have left the Maryvale section of Phoenix deeply unsettled. “It’s like you’re a sitting duck."

On June 10, a suspected serial shooter killed Manuel Castro Garcia in front of this home in Phoenix's Maryvale neighborhood. (Photo: Brandon Sullivan for The Trace)

PHOENIX, AZ — Lupe Alfonso has been plagued by nightmares ever since the murders began. Just the other night, the 55-year-old grandmother woke up in a panic at 2 a.m., having dreamt the man — people around here are now calling him the Maryvale Serial Killer — was outside with a gun. Terrified, Alfonso jumped out of bed, switched on her backyard lights, and shouted “Who’s there?! Who’s there?!”

No one was — it was just her neighbor’s dogs rummaging around in the yard. Her heart still pounding in her chest, Alfonso triple-checked that the front door was locked, made sure her two adult children and eight-year-old grandson were safe, and crawled back into bed.

In Phoenix, a serial shooter is on the loose. Since March 17, police say the killer — who is described as a white or Hispanic male in his 20s with a lanky build — has attacked nine times, murdering seven people and injuring two more. The victims have been Latino and African American, and all the homicides remain unsolved. The killer often strikes at night, picking people off as they walk down the street or stand in front of their homes.

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The victims appear to have been chosen at random — males and females, ranging in age from four to 55. The attack that has received the most publicity, because one of the victims was a child, happened on June 12. That day, 33-year-old Stefanie Ellis was sitting in a red Chevrolet Cobalt parked outside of her house with her 12-year-old daughter, Maleah, and a friend, Angela Linner, 31, chatting and listening to music. Police say that around 3 a.m., a man opened fire. Stefanie was hit 14 times. All three were killed.

Though police have not released a motive, they say the killer’s method has been consistent: The shooter arrives in a car, sometimes in a black BMW or Cadillac, and draws a handgun. Sometimes he stays in the car, other times he exits. Then, he fires multiple rounds and flees the scene. On Tuesday, police announced they retrieved bullet casings from three of the crime scenes.

Sgt. Jon Howard, an officer in the Phoenix Police Department, says police have been able to link the shootings with both physical and circumstantial evidence, but declined to provide more details — including the specific type of weapon being used — citing the ongoing investigation. The department has received close to 1,000 tips, but they have not led to any substantial leads, he says.

“It’s still an active threat,” Howard says. “This is priority number one for us.”

The most prominent link tying the killings together is geography. Six of the victims have been killed in Maryvale, a predominantly Latino neighborhood situated just off the I-10 freeway in West Phoenix. Since the 1980’s, high crime rates and gang violence have beset this desert neighborhood.

Still, in many respects, Maryvale is a typical, working-class American neighborhood: There are city parks, low-slung apartment complexes, and big-box retail stores. The community’s population hovers around 200,000, and about 40 percent of the residents are under the age of 20. Children’s toys are splayed out in driveways and dusty front yards.

In the summer, Phoenix is scorching. In early August, mid-afternoon temperatures pushed past 110 degrees, turning any bit of shade into a coveted piece of real estate. It’s so hot that when one turns on the cold water faucet, warm water comes out. Most residents, if they can, stay indoors until the sun has set, when the air cools off and neighborhoods finally come to life.

It’s then — the evenings — when people spill out into yards and sidewalks to play and socialize. Some have barbecues; others chat with neighbors or tinker with car engines. On most summer nights, children are out in their front yards, squealing with delight or riding bicycles and playing games in the street.

Lately, however, Maryvale has felt like a ghost town when the sun goes down. There are no more block parties, no more kids riding bicycles in the streets. Barbecues that were once placed in front yards have been moved to backyards. The streets are virtually empty.

“It’s that boogeyman feeling,” said Lleana Frausto, Alfonso’s 31-year-old daughter, sitting in the living room of the family’s home. “You know like when you’re a little kid and you want to run and turn the lights on real quick because you think something’s chasing you? That’s the feeling you get when you come out of your car to go into the house.”

“It’s like you’re a sitting duck,” adds her mother, Lupe Alfonso.

You know like when you’re a little kid and you want to run and turn the lights on real quick because you think something’s chasing you? That’s the feeling you get when you come out of your car to go into the house.” Lleana Frausto Maryvale resident

In response to the threat, Alfonso’s family has begun arming themselves. Alfonso now carries a sharpened, six-inch aluminum dagger, designed for fending off attackers, on her keychain. It was given to her by her 33-year-old son, Vito, who says he sleeps with his own baton in his bed. Vito’s wife, Carla Bishop, sleeps near a sword. On a recent Monday evening, the family sat in their living room discussing whether or not they should buy a gun.

“I’m gonna try and get one,” Alfonso announces, noting that her brother now carries a pistol.

“I’m all for that,” her son, Vito replies. “You gotta take those classes first, though.”

“I would go for a handgun, because I’d like to carry it [around with me],” Alfonso says.

“If I was to get a gun, it’d be a shotgun,” Vito replies. “The sound would be enough to deter him. I don’t want to kill nobody. ”

Bill Carter, the owner of B & D guns in nearby Glendale, says he’s seen a moderate increase in gun sales recently, but he doesn’t attribute the uptick to the Maryvale shooter. Instead, he credits politics with boosting with boosting his business, which he’s owned for the last 28 years. Arizona has loose gun laws, and Carter believes that gun owners are stocking up on weapons in advance of a possible victory by Hillary Clinton, who has vowed to enact gun reforms.

Standing in front of a $749 Smith and Wesson MP-15 with a holstered pistol at his side, Carter smokes Kool cigarettes as he reflected on the need for personal protection. “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” Carter says. “Not a bible. Not a prayer.”

PHOENIX SERIAL SHOOTING TIMELINE March 17, 11:30 p.m. A 16-year-old male is shot and wounded while walking down the street. March 18, 11:30 p.m. A 21-year-old male is shot and wounded while standing outside his vehicle. April 1, 9:00 p.m. Diego Verdugo-Sanchez, 21, is shot and killed in front of a home. April 19, 4:30 a.m. Krystal Annette White, 55, is found shot dead along the side of a road. June 3, 9:50 p.m. Horacio De Jesus Pena, 32, is shot and killed while walking to his car. June 10, 9:30 p.m. Manuel Castro Garcia, 19, is shot and killed in a car in front of a house. June 12, 2:35 a.m. An unoccupied vehicle is shot. June 12, 3:00 a.m. Angela Linner, 31; Maleah Ellis, 12; and Stefanie Ellis, 33, are shot and killed in a parked car in front of a home. July 11, evening. A 4-year-old boy and his 21-year-old father are shot at while sitting at a vehicle. They are not wounded. Source: Phoenix Police Department and media reports