Queen Creek council shows support for slain teen, police

Members of the Queen Creek Town Council wore orange and blue at Wednesday’s meeting to show support for a 16-year-old boy who died after an assault at a party and the Queen Creek Police Department.

Mayor Julia Wheatley said orange was Preston Lord’s favorite color. The Combs High School students was severely beaten at a house party in Queen Creek on Oct. 28 and died at Phoenix Children’s Hospital on Oct. 30. No arrests have been made in the case. Combs High School is in the Pinal County section of the San Tan Valley.

An emotional Wheatley read a statement about Lord’s death and the QCPD’s ongoing investigation.

“As a parent, as the mayor, I am completely heartbroken and I sit here with a council to the side of me that is equally heartbroken as are so many people that I’ve spoken to since Oct. 28,” she said. “I absolutely condemn this senseless act. I wish there was a stronger word to use than condemn, possibly hate is the best word to use when it comes to this type of behavior and this violence, however, hate doesn’t allow our hearts to heal … the only thing we can ask for is for justice and for healing. I pray for Preston’s family, I pray for his friends, I pray for his teammates I pray for his teachers, I pray for everyone that was blessed to know him.”

Wheatley attended a memorial walk for Lord in Queen Creek on Nov. 28 to mark the one-month anniversary of Lord’s attack.

Earlier that day, Jamiere Jenkins, 17, a member of the Combs High School football team, died from a gunshot wound in the Cambria neighborhood of San Tan Valley. The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office is spearheading that investigation. A suspect in Jenkins’ shooting has been arrested.

QCPD stresses there are no connections between the Lord and Jenkins cases, as well as the shooting death of Hailey Stephens, a 17-year-old Casa Grande girl who was shot and killed during a house party in that city on Nov. 26. Casa Grande Police report they have arrested nine people, adults and juveniles, in connection with the shooting.

During the council meeting, QCPD Chief Randy Brice address rumors and emphasized there was no connection among the three cases.

“We have absolutely no evidence that those shootings are related to our case whatsoever or related to each other at all,” he said.

As for the Lord investigation, Brice said the case is complicated because of the sheer volume of tips being sifted through by QCPD officers with help from the FBI. On Nov. 29, Brice said they had received more than 200 tips.

He also addressed why more information on the case is not being released to the public.

“Due to the complexity of this case and because this is an active investigation, we can’t provide specific details because the last thing we want to do is compromise this investigation and defeat the purpose of what we’re actually doing — to get that conviction,” he said. “We appreciate so much the public and what they’ve been sending to us, but we want to remind everyone that providing a tip, a name, other information is just the beginning of that investigative process. We have to gather evidence, corroborate testimony and make the proper connections in this sort of case.

“What I can share with you is this is a complex investigation and will be a complex prosecution for the county attorney,” Brice continued. “More than 59 search warrants have been served to date resulting in extensive amounts of information that must be analyzed and reviewed, and we continue to remain focused on bringing justice to Preston.”

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Janet Perez can be reached at jperez@iniusa.org.