Suspect in weekend drive-by shooting charged

Seven felony charges were filed Wednesday against a Yuma man for allegedly committing a drive-by shooting early Sunday morning.

Tyre Hendrix, 21, who was arraigned before Somerton Justice of the Peace Jorge Lozano, was charged with three counts of attempted second-degree murder, three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of drive-by shooting.

“Mr. Hendrix, you are back in court today to see whether or not criminal charges were filed against you by the state of Arizona,” Lozano said during the brief six-minute court hearing. “And in your case, a criminal complaint was filed by the state, and you have been provided a copy of that complaint. Mr. Hendrix I will enter a plea of not guilty on your behalf on these charges.”

Prosecutor William Katz, of the Yuma County Attorney's Office, asked the court to be heard on Hendrix's bond, requesting it remain at the $500,000 it had previously been set at, which the judge agreed to do.

“Your honor, we would ask that this court affirm the previous bond that was set at $500,000, based upon the nature and circumstances of the offenses alleged therein,” Katz said. “Your honor, we believe the $500,000 bond continues to be appropriate.”

The only time Hendrix spoke was in response to a question from the judge about whether the court would need to appoint a public defender to represent him, to which Hendrix said it would not because he had already hired an attorney.

Lozano then set Hendrix's next court date, a preliminary hearing scheduled for 4 p.m. on Nov. 8.

Yuma police say that at about 3:18 a.m. Sunday morning, officers responded to a call of shots fired in the area of 5th Street and 10th Avenue. During the investigation into the drive-by, police identified Hendrix as the shooter, who fired three to five shots.

According to Yuma police, immediately following the shooting, a deputy from the Yuma County Sheriff's Office, who happened to be driving through the neighborhood at the time, chased Hendrix's sedan for about a mile, to the 2400 block of the West Main Canal, where he got out of his car and fled on foot. The car ended up in the canal.

Hendrix turned himself in to the Yuma County Sheriff's Office the following day at 12:11 p.m. and was later arrested by detectives with the Yuma Police Department, who also questioned him about his involvement in the drive-by shooting.

According to court records, Hendrix had allegedly become involved in a dispute at the residence and was asked to leave, which he did, only to return a short time later. When Hendrix allegedly returned, he pulled up to the curb in his car, displayed a handgun, and began firing shots at three people who were standing outside the residence.

No one was injured in the shooting. Witnesses later identified Hendrix as having been at the party earlier and as being the shooter.

James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854. Find him on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/YSJamesGilbert or on Twitter at @YSJamesGilbert.