The boy was shot and killed in Maricopa last Friday night.
MARICOPA, Ariz. — The Maricopa Police Department is investigating the death of a teenage boy who was shot and killed last Friday night.
Maricopa police officers responded to the area near Bolin Road and Hogenes Boulevard around 7 p.m. Arriving officers found a 16-year-old boy with a gunshot wound, and he was taken to the hospital.
The boy died from his injuries. His name has not been released.
Police said there is no reason to believe there is an ongoing threat to the community, but asked anyone with information about the shooting to call Maricopa police at 520-568-3673.
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Locals refer to the Phoenix metropolitan area as “The Valley.” It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
In addition to Phoenix, the Valley is made up of a variety of other major cities, including:
- mesa
- chandler
- scottsdale
- Tempe
- glendale
- surprise
- Peoria
- gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- goodyear
- buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where the city is in relation to Phoenix.
According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the total population of Valley cities is 4,845,832. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country, behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How large is Maricopa County?
According to the 2020 Census, Maricopa County is the fourth largest county in the United States with a population of 4,485,414 people.
This county contains approximately 63% of Arizona’s population and covers an area of 9,224 square miles. This makes the county larger than seven U.S. states: Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.
One of the largest park systems in the United States is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks, including hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers, and campgrounds.
The county seat is Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the fifth most populous city in the United States according to the census.
The county is named after the Maricopa or Piipaash Native American tribe.
