Yenni Dominguez Leyva: Mom shot dead in front of children after thugs open fire on car in random attack
PHOENIX, ARIZONA: Three teenagers allegedly opened fire on a car carrying five children and other family members, resulting in the death of a mother in west Phoenix early on October 10. A 35-year-old woman named Yenni Dominguez Leyva was the victim while Martin Ramirez-Contreras, a 19-year-old adult, was recognized as the offender.
At the scene of the incident, responding officers discovered guns and detained three persons, including two teenagers. The reason the suspects fired on the car is unknown, according to the police who also revealed that the suspects and the victim are unrelated. Sgt Phillip Krynsky of the Phoenix Authorities Department claimed that at about one in the morning, police were summoned to an AM/PM gas station near 27th Avenue and McDowell Road due to a shooting. When Ramirez-Contreras and two other teenage guys suddenly opened fire on their automobile, 35-year-old Dominguez-Leyva and four other family members were inside. Dominguez-Leyva was shot after police discovered her inside the car with her family.
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At the scene, she was declared dead. “I could hear several shots,” said neighbor Angel Losada to AZ Family. “I don’t know, maybe six or seven. It’s very sad, because she leaves behind her little kids.” The only victim identified was Leyva who was shot while in the passenger seat. Ramirez-Contreras and the other two teenagers, according to investigators, believe that someone else was also in the car. “As you can imagine, this is not something they were expecting. A loved one that just died in front of them,” said Sgt Krynsky. “As you can imagine, it must be difficult for them, as well as officers on scene.”
After picking up a relative, Dominguez-Leyva and her family were passing through the neighborhood at 32nd Avenue and McDowell Road when the three suspects outside their home opened fire on their vehicle, according to Krynsky. Once the family discovered Dominguez-Leyva had been hit, the vehicle sped off and they arrived at the petrol station. Ramirez-Contreras and the boys were inside the house when police arrived, according to Krynsky, when the gunshot occurred. When they didn't respond to attempts to speak with them, police went inside and arrested Ramirez-Contreras, another guy and the two teenagers. The second man was then let go. “Somebody minding their own business, doing what they’re supposed to be doing, gunned down in the midst of living everyday life, is just the extra amount of tragedy that we see,” Phoenix Police Sgt Phil Krynsky said.
Second-degree murder and aggravated assault are the charges brought against each suspect. “We have the tragedy of losing one life, but it could have definitely been worse,” Sgt Krynsky told AZ Family. “Those bullets that went through the vehicle could have struck anybody. They don’t discriminate.” No matter if you know the victim or not, according to Pastor Artemio Rivas, this kind of tragedy affects everyone in the neighborhood. Let’s think about the children,” said Rivas. “Nobody else can take care of the children like a mama, like a mother. It’s just kind of sad.” The gunfire also damaged Station 14 of the Phoenix Fire Department but nobody inside was harmed.