YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Fresh flowers and messages of love adorn the sidewalk where 18-year-old Fernando Islas was murdered on November 21, 2023.

Islas' Honda Civic crashed into power lines near 24th Street and Eighth Avenue after being hit by a car.

“I couldn't believe it. Like I said, I just talked to him and within about 30 minutes of getting off the phone with him, I found out he had been killed. ” Rita Islas said. She is the mother of Fernando Islas.

Six months earlier, in May 2023, more than 30 shots were fired at a weekend house party, injuring five people and killing two, including 19-year-old Danny Garcia, one of Islas' best friends. The situation was fatal.

The youngest victim in this shooting was 15 years old.

Reporter Zachary Moran-Norris interviewed Yuma Police Chief Thomas Garrity and asked him how minors are obtaining these firearms.

“There are different ways to do it. We recently had an incident last year where an adult bought a gun for them. One of the things that is concerning is when they steal a gun from their parent. “Arizona is a Second Amendment state, and many people own firearms, and children will steal them,” Chief Garrity said.

Recent Report by Arizona Department of Health Services They found that shootings were the leading cause of death for teens ages 15 to 17 in Arizona.

The report also states that 59 children died from firearm-related injuries in 2022, a slight increase from the previous year.

Chief Garrity said approximately 20% of local mass shootings involve people under the age of 21.

Reporter Zachary Moran-Norris asked Chief Garrity if the shooting was related to a gang war.

“That's a tough question. And, you know, not dancing around this topic means gang members could do the shooting. But that's for personal reasons, gang members It may not be for. Are there gangs? Yes, there are gangs,” Chief Garrity said.

News 11 got a rare peek inside the Yuma Police Department's evidence storage room, where firearms seized from crime scenes are kept.

“If it's related to a crime, like a shooting or murder, the gun is kept safe, brought here, logged in, and then sent for evidence processing. They look for overt traces, they look for DNA. The gun will then be test-fired and entered into NIBIN, the national database, so we can see if the gun was used in another crime. We can do that,” said Sergeant Lori Franklin of the Yuma Police Department.

Arizona law states that, with some exceptions, you must be at least 21 years old to purchase a handgun and 18 years old to purchase a long gun from a licensed dealer.

Arizona does not require gun owners to pass background checks or register privately purchased guns.

Watch News 11's special report on Wednesday, February 21st.