Maricopa police have identified the teen accused in a shooting that injured another teen in the Planet Fitness parking lot last week, according to InMaricopa.
Police said a pair of friends found a gun in a ditch near Planet Fitness just before 10 p.m. on Oct. 14. According to the probable cause statement, one of the teens handled the weapon recklessly and said he accidentally fired it into his friend’s leg.
Witnesses in the area reported hearing gunshots, and officers arrived to find a 17-year-old in severe pain beside a vehicle with a gunshot wound to his leg. The injured teen was taken to the hospital in stable condition with a gunshot wound to his upper right thigh and a moderate amount of blood loss.
Police say the older friend, 18-year-old Julian Lovelace, was located near his vehicle and admitted to accidentally firing the gun before putting it back in the ditch instead of helping the injured teen. Lovelace was booked into the Pinal County Adult Detention Facility on suspicion of unlawful discharge, disorderly conduct, endangerment, aggravated assault and tampering with evidence. The case has been referred to the Pinal County Attorney’s Office.
