Mom Says Her Son Is the Arizona Westgate Mall Shooter

Last night, at around 7:25 p.m., a gunman injured three people at the Westgate shopping center in Glendale, Arizona. The suspect surrendered to police and is in custody. While police have yet to identify the suspect officially, several people close to the suspect have released his name. According to 12News, his mother and close friends said the suspect is 20-year-old Armando Hernandez from Peoria, Arizona. His mother was able to ID him after seeing a video of the shooting. 

One of those injured is in critical condition. Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers said more people could have been hurt had it not been for the shelter-in-place orders. 

U.S. Marshals have entered the house of alleged #Westgate shooter Armando Hernandez #12News pic.twitter.com/ywKHRjgt4v

— Josh Sanders / CBS News Philadelphia (@JoshBSanders) May 21, 2020

Arizona State Sen. Martin Quezada was at the scene when the shooting broke out. He took to Twitter to inform the public. 

“I just witnessed an armed terrorist with an AR-15 shoot up Westgate. There are multiple victims.” He later added, “I saw 2 victims with my own eyes. Not sure how many others I saw the shooter. Being told not to say anything else about details ’til I speak to police. I’m ok. Lots of shaken up people.”

Quezada told 12News: “I saw him through my window after the shots were fired. He was walking calmly while reloading his weapon.”

https://twitter.com/SenQuezada29/status/1263301884606988288

Reporter Zach Crenshaw also tweeted an update, saying, “LOCKDOWN STILL IN EFFECT: Westgate is still “shelter in place” – so some people can’t leave. Glendale PD tho, does not believe there are additional suspects. One male suspect was arrested. He was not actively shooting when police arrived. 3 victims. 1 critical. 2 non-critical.”

According to the New York Post, the suspect recorded moments leading up to the shooting and uploaded it to Snapchat. 

“Hello, my name is Armando Junior Hernandez, and I’m gonna be the shooter of Westgate 2020,” the man says as he flashes the beer can and shows guns in his back seat, The Sun reported. “Let’s get this done,” he said. 

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey also released a statement regarding the shooting, saying, “First and foremost, our hearts and prayers are with the individuals and families impacted tonight, as well as the first responders and police officers who are on the scene. As we learn additional details, the state is here to continue to offer its full support to the victims and to the community.”

This is a developing story and will update the article as more information is released.