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Court docs: Man shot 6 people, killing 2 in Phoenix over an allegedly stolen wallet

Court documents showed one of the victims who was pronounced dead at the scene was found with a baby lying between her legs.

PHOENIX — A 29-year-old man was arrested Tuesday in connection to an early-morning shooting that left two people dead and four others injured.

According to Phoenix police, 29-year-old Jeffery Rhone was found and taken into custody around 10:21 a.m. near 33rd and Northern avenues. Officers initially responded to the shooting call at 3:31 a.m. in the area of 27th Avenue and Butler Drive, between Dunlap and Northern avenues.

Rhone was involved in an altercation Monday night at a home in the area where a group of close friends and family were gathered together. 

Court documents show Rhone was upset that his wallet had been stolen by someone at the house. Some items from his wallet were later found south of the home.

Rhone argued with some of the men at the home, according to court documents. He left the gathering and returned. Court documents show the fight turned physical and witnesses told officers Rhone had lost the fight and was "physically removed" from the home.

According to court documents, Rhone returned again. Witnesses reported hearing a knock at the door and when it was opened, they said Rhone entered the home with a gun.

"He shot my dad and my other brother," said Brandon Isaiah Rodriguez, who was one of the people shot. 

A witnesses told police it sounded like Rhone was moving "from room to room" firing at people as he walked through the house, court documents show.

"I got shot first, then my brother, then my brother Josh, then my brother Jorge, then he shot Shelby in the chest right here in the front, and then he shot my other brother running out the back," Rodriguez said.

Police arrived to find a man unresponsive in the front yard of the home, later identified as 30-year-old Jorge Rodriguez.

According to court documents, officers observed other victims with gunshot wounds outside of the home. A trail of blood led back inside the residence. Officers found shell casings throughout the home and blood trails leading to a back door.

Officers discovered 17-year-old Shelby Verderosa unresponsive in the living room. She appeared to have a gunshot wound to her chest.

"She [Shelby] was holding the baby when he shot them. She was trying to get out the front door and that's when he put her down, knocked her out with bullets to the chest," Rodriguez said. 

Court documents revealed there was an infant under 6 months lying on the floor between Verderosa's legs. The infant was not injured and was taken from the scene by officers.

Verderosa's cousin, Andie Sanko, said Shelby was a single mom getting ready to take on her new responsibilities.

"She wanted to be the best mother that she could be, and she was doing an amazing job at it," Sanko said.

Both Verderosa and Rodriguez were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Police said Rhone chased one of the victims, a 19-year-old man, down 27th Avenue while firing shots. That 19-year-old was able to flee to a hotel where he was later found by police.

That 19-year-old man, along with a 29-year-old man, 56-year-old man and a 22-year-old man, were taken to local hospitals. Police said they are expected to survive with serious but not life-threatening injuries.

Rhone fled the scene and was eventually located by plainclothes detectives and taken into custody without incident, police said.

According to court documents, Rhone's roommate had reported his gun was taken from his room by Rhone. The shell casings found at the home where the shooting occurred matched the caliber of the roommate's handgun, court documents showed.

Rhone was booked on several charges including two counts of first-degree murder, four aggravated assault, one count burglary and one count of disorderly conduct with a firearm. A judge set a $1 million cash-only bond for him.

A search of court records shows Rhone has a violent history. He has been arrested several times related to assaults and fighting.

Meanwhile, Verderosa's family set up a Gofundme for her funeral expenses

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