arizona news
Has been updated: 1:50 p.m. May 16, 2023
(Photo by Eric Enderle – Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office)
PHOENIX — A 72-year-old Arizona man was convicted of a street assault shooting last week and could face up to 20 years in prison, officials said Tuesday.
The Yavapai County Attorney’s Office announced Friday that a jury found Eric Adrian Enderle guilty of shooting from a vehicle, aggravated assault, criminal damage and tampering with evidence.
The Springerville resident, who was 70 at the time of the March 19, 2021 shooting, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 26. According to the announcement, he could be sentenced to seven to 20 years in prison.
Prosecutors said Engdahl cornered the driver who overtook him on Walker Road and opened fire on the vehicle with a pistol. The incident occurred near the entrance to Lynx Lake in Prescott National Forest.
The victim provided the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office a description of Engdahl and his vehicle, and investigators were able to identify the suspect.
Prosecutors said Engdahl shaved off his signature mustache and changed his appearance after the shooting. He also removed the roof rack from his car and drove it to Las Vegas, where he left it with a friend of his.
Prosecutors said the friend had initially told local police that the car had been in the car for a month, but changed his story after being presented with conflicting evidence.
After serving warrants and gathering evidence in Prescott and Las Vegas, the YCSO arrested Engdahl on April 29, 2021.
“Street assault cases can be difficult to prove, but YCSO detectives did an excellent job in establishing this case,” county attorney Dennis McGran said in a statement.
