Police in Arizona say three men were taken into custody on Friday evening in connection to a drug deal that ended with an 18-year-old man dead in Mesa.
Police say Chase Lemons was shot and killed in his car near Baseline and Crimson roads on March 20.
Now, 18-year-old Richard Mejia, 20-year-old Devon O’Rourke and 19-year-old Isaiah Enriquez are accused of the murder.
According to court documents, O’Rourke, Mejia, Enriquez and two other people had planned to meet Lemons to buy marijuana. Investigators say the group was planning to rob Lemons and steal the marijuana. Enriquez had brought a gun but didn’t plan to shoot Lemons, according to court paperwork. When the group arrived, the two other people waited in the car while O’Rourke, Mejia and Enriquez went to meet Lemons and another man.
O’Rourke told officers he was going to pull Lemons out of the car while Enriquez pulled out the gun, according to court documents. However, police said Lemons tried to drive away when Enriquez began shooting at the car. Lemons was shot and killed inside the car, and Lemons’ passenger was taken to the hospital. The group then took off after the murder.
A witness told police that Enriquez had told him about the shooting and admitted to shooting Lemons, court paperwork says. Officers then tracked down the three men and arrested them. In an interview with police, O’Rourke and Mejia admitted to being involved in the crime. Mejia told officers he had texted Lemons and set up the meetup. According to court paperwork, officers searched Enriquez’s phone and found a map of the meet-up location and photos of him holding the gun.
All three men were booked on one count of first-degree murder and one count of armed robbery. Enriquez was also booked on one count of aggravated assault.
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