BREAKING NEWS

Chandler man arrested on suspicion of shooting man, threatening to try to kill him again

Miguel Torres
Arizona Republic
Chandler police

A man who survived multiple gunshot wounds on Saturday claimed the shooter threatened him that others would try to take his life if he survived, according to a Chandler police report. 

Officers found a man with multiple gunshot wounds lying next to his bullet-riddled vehicle after responding to a shooting in a back alley near Chandler Boulevard and McQueen Road, the police report said. 

According to the police report, the unnamed victim claimed he had picked up a man known to him as "Jimmy" at an acquaintance's house in the area. The man told the victim that he needed a ride to his aunt's house and directed the victim to drive down a back alley where his aunt was waiting for him.

The man got out of the vehicle and came around to the driver's side where, according to the victim, he said, "This is what you get when you talk to the police. If you don't die now, we will get you later," before shooting at the vehicle, the police report said. 

The victim tried to back his vehicle out of the alley but crashed into a wall, the victim told officers, according to the police report.

Witnesses told police they saw the suspect run through the backyard of a house and hop into the passenger side of a gold-brown Toyota that fled the scene. 

Jerry Montano Valdez, 42, of Chandler, became a suspect when police received a tip from the victim of an April 9 armed robbery in Mesa, the police report said. The victim of the robbery identified Valdez as the same man who had stolen a gun from him a day prior, according to the police report. The robbery victim then showed police photos of the stolen gun and ammunition, the police report said.

According to the police report, officers found that the ammunition was similar to the casings picked up at the shooting scene and that a similar gun was being sold on Snapchat by people connected to Valdez. 

When the victim of the shooting was shown a photo lineup that included a picture of Valdez, the victim pointed at Valdez's picture exclaiming, "Oh my god," and told police he was "100 percent" positive that he was the man who shot him, the police report said. 

According to the police report, Valdez told officers that he had no involvement with the shooting.

Valdez was arrested and charged with premeditated first-degree murder, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon by a prohibited person, criminal damage, and discharging a weapon within city limits.

Reach breaking news reporter Miguel Torres at Miguel.Torres@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @MTorresTweet.