The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating a shooting that targeted a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in central Phoenix after individuals fired multiple rounds at the building’s exterior.
According to the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office, the shooting occurred on July 14, 2026, at the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations building located at 2035 N. Central Ave., near Central Avenue and Monte Vista Road.
FBI Phoenix Investigates Shooting Incident at Federal ERO Building
Anyone who witnessed suspicious activity in the area of North Central Avenue on Tuesday, July 14, in the afternoon, or who has information regarding this shooting, is urged to contact the FBI: •Call the FBI… pic.twitter.com/NBLoy0hHxF
Authorities said several rounds struck the exterior of the federal immigration facility.
No injuries were reported as a result of the gunfire, and the damage appears to have been limited to the outside of the building.
The FBI has confirmed that one or more unidentified individuals fired the shots. The agency has not announced any arrests or identified any suspects, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Later that same day, protestors gathered outside the ICE facility. However, federal investigators said there is currently no indication that the demonstration was connected to the shooting.
The FBI is asking anyone with information about the incident to come forward as investigators continue working to determine who was responsible.
Federal authorities have not released additional details regarding a possible motive. The FBI said it will continue investigating the incident and provide updates as more information becomes available.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reveals that assault constitutes the crime most commonly committed in Arizona.
An analysis of the latest data available on the Law Enforcement Agency Reported Crime Analysis Tool (LEARCAT), a Bureau of Justice Statistics database, found nearly 38,700 incidents of simple assault in 2024. This data is limited to the state’s participating law enforcement agencies.
Simple assault refers to both assaults and attempted assaults where the perpetrator didn’t use a weapon or where the victim didn’t sustain a serious or aggravated injury. This classification includes stalking, intimidation, coercion, and hazing, per the FBI.
The research, conducted by the Injury Lawyer Team, estimated that simple assaults occurred about once every 14 minutes in the state.
The second-most common crime reported in Arizona was shoplifting (30,800 incidents), followed by destruction, damage, or vandalism of property (27,500 incidents); drug equipment violations (27,400 incidents); all other larceny (21,100 incidents); drug or narcotic violations (21,000 incidents); motor vehicle theft (10,500 incidents); aggravated assault (10,100 incidents); theft from a motor vehicle (10,100 incidents); and burglary and breaking and entering (9,700 incidents).
Arizona experiencing simple assault as its most common crime was consistent with the national trend. In 2024, there were over two million recorded incidents of simple assault nationwide. 28 states reported simple assault as their most common crime.
Preliminary data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program reflected a decline in violent crime in 2025 so steep that it could prove historical, per FBI Director Kash Patel. Overall, violent crime was predicted to have decreased by an estimated 9%.
“The 2025 crime data in this report shows the single largest decrease in violent crime and murder since 1937 – as well as huge decreases across the board in terms of aggravated assault, rape, and robbery,” said Patel. “Over the last 14 months, we made major transformations at the FBI, and these results show those changes are working. This FBI will continue to stack these wins for the American people under President Trump and always Back the Blue every step of the way.”
Murder and non-negligent manslaughter decreased by an estimated 18%; rape decreased by an estimated 7%; robbery decreased by an estimated 18%; and aggravated assault decreased by an estimated 7%.
The program received data from more than 17,000 agencies representing 96% of the population (in 2024, the program relied on data from nearly 16,700 agencies).
Part of this preliminary steep decline came from data submitted by the Phoenix Police Department. Phoenix police reflected a decline in violent crime, including homicide, over the last few years.
2025 had 1,000-plus fewer incidents of violent crime reported than 2024.
Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) data agrees with this pattern of decline in violent crimes reflected by Phoenix police. AZDPS reported that violent crime — more than 27,100 cases with 44% clearance rate — declined by more than 13% compared to 2024.
AZDPS data also reflected an overall decline in violent crime over the past five years.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ02) announced this week that language from his legislation aimed at restoring veterans’ Second Amendment rights has been incorporated into a bipartisan bill advancing through Congress.
According to a statement from Crane’s office, language from H.R. 496 was added to H.R. 1041, the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives this week and now heads to the Senate.
The legislation would prohibit the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from reporting veterans to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) solely because they receive assistance managing their VA benefits through a fiduciary program.
Crane’s provision incorporated into H.R. 1041 would restore Second Amendment rights to veterans previously reported to NICS solely due to fiduciary participation.
The measure would require a judicial determination that a veteran poses a danger to themselves or others before Second Amendment rights could be restricted through NICS reporting.
Crane said the addition of his bill language strengthens the legislation by addressing veterans already affected by the prior reporting policy.
“I’m pleased to see the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs add my language from H.R. 496 to the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act,” Crane said. “This addition strengthens the bill, ensuring the retroactive removal of veterans who were wrongly added to the FBI’s NICS list.”
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL) said the legislation is intended to protect veterans receiving financial assistance services from losing constitutional rights without court involvement.
“The men and women who have served and defended Constitutional rights for generations of Americans should not have to worry that they will be reported to NICS and lose their rights simply because they need help managing their books,” Bost said. “Veterans should never be treated like second-class citizens.”
Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-TX), chairman of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, also supported the measure, stating that only courts—not agency officials—should determine whether constitutional rights are restricted.
The legislation follows policy changes announced earlier this year by the Department of Veterans Affairs. In February, the VA announced it would stop reporting veterans enrolled in the fiduciary program to NICS solely because they receive assistance managing benefits. The department stated it was also working with the FBI to remove prior VA-related NICS submissions connected only to fiduciary participation.
VA Secretary Doug Collins said at the time that veterans had been deprived of Second Amendment rights without sufficient due process protections.
Today, the House passed the bipartisan Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act.
This bill codifies @POTUS’ directive stopping the VA from reporting veterans to the FBI’s NICS list for using a fiduciary.
Following House passage, Crane praised the legislation and urged Senate approval.
“If the federal government is willing to strip the God‑given, unalienable rights of those who served in uniform, there is no telling where they will draw the line. H.R. 1041 codifies the termination of this un‑American practice and prevents future administrations from unilaterally reversing this wise decision.”
He added, “I’m grateful to President Trump for protecting the rights of our nation’s heroes, and I appreciate Chairman Bost for adopting my language into his bill. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to quickly pass these necessary reforms.”
Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen confirmed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has obtained election-related records from Maricopa County as part of an ongoing federal investigation connected to the 2020 presidential election. The confirmation followed independent reporting, which some members of the local press mischaracterized as describing a “raid.”
Petersen confirmed the action after a report from JustTheNews stated that federal investigators recently secured terabytes of election data from Arizona’s most populous county through a federal grand jury subpoena.
The subpoena sought election materials connected to Maricopa County’s administration of the 2020 election, according to the report. Sources familiar with the probe told the outlet that investigators obtained electronic election data as part of a broader criminal inquiry examining potential election-related misconduct.
The reported federal action follows other election-related investigations conducted in recent months involving local election administration across the United States, such as the FBI’s similar seizure of election records in Fulton County, Georgia.
Early responses to reporting from JustTheNews’ John Solomon included ABC15’s Garrett Archer mischaracterizing the report on the seizure under subpoena as describing a ‘raid,’ and as “either a full-throated lie, or something having to do with the recorder’s office.”
Solomon replied to the post, stating, “My story is accurate. When a grand jury subpoena is issued there isn’t usually a raid. The data is obtained usually from a third party. I’d ask your legislature what they know.”
Within minutes, a post from Petersen confirmed the JustTheNews article shared by President Donald Trump on Truth Social. Petersen posted to X, “President Trump is 100% correct. Late last week I received and complied with a federal grand jury subpoena for records relating to the Arizona State Senate’s 2020 audit of Maricopa County. The FBI has the records. Any other report is fake news.”
President Trump is 100% correct.
Late last week I received and complied with a federal grand jury subpoena for records relating to the Arizona State Senate’s 2020 audit of Maricopa County. The FBI has the records. Any other report is fake news.@realDonaldTrumppic.twitter.com/C2T202VgZP
Congressman Abe Hamadeh’s (R-AZ08) Rapid Response team was quick to point out, “John Solomon’s report never mentions a ‘raid’ at all. The actual term used is ‘subpoena.’ Garrett Archer appears to have invented the raid claim just to knock down an easy ‘straw man’ argument.”
John Solomon's report never mentions a 'raid' at all.
As previously reported by AZ Free News, the contractors’ controversial report from the Senate-mandated audit documented multiple concerns about election administration procedures, while confirming that the overall ballot count remained largely consistent with the certified results.
Hamadeh issued a request for a full investigation into credible allegations that election security protocols in Arizona were breached during the 2024 General Election in June 2025 following reports alleging that large stores of printed blank ballots from several western states were “improperly mixed in a warehouse with returned voted mail ballots that were in the process of being prepared for tabulation” at Runbeck Election Services, a firm contracted by Maricopa County.
Blank ballots should never be mixed with live ballots. I’m urging the @DOJ to investigate Runbeck Election Services and Maricopa County’s role in Arizona’s 2024 election.
He wrote at the time, “This alarming situation raises serious questions about the security and integrity of the election process in Maricopa County and potentially beyond. The commingling of blank ballots with live ballots poses a significant risk to the accuracy and fairness of election results. It is crucial that we have confidence in the integrity of our elections, and any potential mishandling of ballots must be investigated to ensure that the will of the voters is accurately reflected.”
Federal investigators have not publicly detailed the full scope of the current inquiry involving the Maricopa County records. The FBI generally does not comment on ongoing investigations.
Officials with Maricopa County have not publicly released a detailed description of the materials obtained by federal investigators or the timing of the request. Federal authorities have not announced any charges connected to the reported subpoena for Maricopa County election records.
Requests to establish Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapters exploded in the days following the assassination of its CEO and founder, Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, a devout, professed Christian and Phoenix native, was a month shy of turning 32 years old at the time of his death. Kirk left behind a wife — CEO of Proclaim Streetwear and Bible in 365, and former Miss Arizona USA, Erika Kirk (née Frantzve) — and two young children.
Andrew Kolvet, executive producer for “The Charlie Kirk Show,” said on Sunday that TPUSA received over 37,000 requests for new chapters.
Prior to Kirk’s assassination, TPUSA reported having approximately 900 college chapters and 1,200 high school chapters, or about 3,500 chapters total.
“The organization has received over 32,000 inquiries in the last 48-hours to start new campus chapters,” said Kolvet. “Charlie’s vision to have a Club America chapter (our high school brand) in every high school in America (around 23,000) will come true much much faster than he could have ever possibly imagined.”
🚨 I wanted to share a paise report from TPUSA. The organization has received over 32,000 inquiries in the last 48-hours to start new campus chapters. To put that in perspective, TPUSA currently has 900 official college chapters and around 1,200 high school chapters, with a…
Kolvet also reported to Fox News that he personally received “hundreds of offers” to work or volunteer for TPUSA.
Many have reported witnessing a massive increase in church attendance the Sunday following Kirk’s assassination, accompanied with online postings of baptisms directly influenced by Kirk.
Donations also poured in to support Kirk’s widow and two children.
One GiveSendGo for the Kirk family sits at over $4.9 million as of Monday, with a goal of $6 million. ALP Pouches, a nicotine pouch company, organized the fundraiser.
Another GiveSendGo organized by TPUSA has raised over $1.8 million. TPUSA is also soliciting donations to continue its work and grow.
Another GiveSendGo was launched by conservative pundit Glenn Beck as a resurrection of the 912 Project. That fundraiser has raised over $500,000.
Several smaller fundraisers have also cropped up online and collected thousands: over 200 on GoFundMe as of Monday. The fundraisers pledge money to the Kirk family, TPUSA, or creating memorials.
Kirk was shot and killed on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University during another one of his viral campus debates, part of his “American Comeback Tour.”
Several days following Kirk’s death, law enforcement arrested Tyler Robinson, 22, for the assassination.
Per the FBI, Robinson had an “obsession” with Kirk and “hated” the conservative evangelist. FBI Director Kash Patel said that Robinson told another individual ahead of the assassination via text that he had an opportunity to kill Kirk and would do so because of Kirk’s Christianity.
“He had a text message exchange with another individual in which he claimed that he had an opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk — and he was going to do it because of his hatred for what Charlie stood for,” said Patel.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino told Fox News that it was “fairly obvious to everyone” that Kirk’s assassination was “an ideologically motivated attack.”
In addition to the messaging evidence, ammunition recovered at the assassination site indicated allegiances to transgender and anti-fascist ideologies. Robinson’s romantic partner, his roommate, was an individual who identified as a “furry” and a transgender woman.
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