By Jon Johnson
GLOBE – Two people were killed and two others injured after a single suspect opened fire in a Globe bar late Sunday night.
The incident took place at about 10:29 p.m. at Jammerz Bar at 598 N. Broad St. in Globe.
The deceased victims, both of whom were from Globe, were listed as a 22-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman. Two 22-year-old women, also of Globe, were airlifted to Phoenix hospitals and were in critical condition as of Monday afternoon. Globe Police Chief Dale Walters held a press conference Monday and said the names of the victims were being withheld in deference to the family members until they are assured that they have informed all their extended family of what happened. All four were listed as being customers of the bar, but one also was employed by Jammerz but was not currently working at the time.
“This is a very sad day for the city of Globe,” Walters said during the press conference. “Last night, four members of our community were shot in a senseless act of violence.”
The Globe Police Department and Gila County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident, and the suspected shooter, Sterling Randall Hunt, 22, of Globe, is in custody on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, where he is being held on unrelated charges, according to Walters. After the shooting, police located Hunt on the reservation and questioned him about the shootings.
According to Walters, the four victims were playing pool with Hunt prior to the shooting. He said at least three of them had exited the bar to a back patio to smoke cigarettes and Hunt followed and began shooting them.
“It’s a tragedy for a community of this size to go through,” Walters said. “This is impacting almost every aspect of what we do. This is going to take a long time to get through and it’s going to painful as we do it.”
Walters described the shooting as an isolated incident and said Hunt used a semi-automatic handgun, which has been recovered by police.
Walters requested that anyone who was in the bar at the time of the shooting and has information regarding the incident to contact Globe Police Detective Steve Williams at (928) 425-5751.
Walters will hold another press conference on Tuesday at 1 p.m.
