Welcome to Arrest Stories. A twenty-three-year-old Phoenix man has confessed to shooting a sleeping victim eight times near a canal in what police are calling an unprovoked killing. Here's what may have happened.
On Wednesday evening, September nineteenth, Bryan Flores Barrientos was drinking alcohol and dealing with family problems when he decided to head to a dirt area near the Grand Canal in east Phoenix to practice target shooting. According to police reports, Barrientos walked under a freeway headed north, carrying his weapon as he made his way to the canal area.
What happened next shocked investigators. Police say Barrientos discovered Efrin Evangelista sleeping peacefully near the canal. Initially planning to steal the victim's backpack, Barrientos changed course. Instead, he took a deep breath and fired eight shots into the sleeping man without any provocation whatsoever.
The first sign of trouble came that Friday when officers responded to reports of gunshots. A witness "reported seeing a suspicious man in the area of Thirty-Fifth Street and McDowell Road after shots were heard," but police were unable to locate either the scene or victim at that time.
Three days later, on September twenty-second at eleven forty-five in the morning, the grim discovery was made. Evangelista's body was found near the Grand Canal, already in early stages of decomposition with obvious signs of trauma.
The breakthrough came when detectives re-interviewed witnesses. As investigators explained, "Detectives re-interviewed the witness, and based on the information provided, video surveillance was collected that helped identify the suspect, twenty-three-year-old Bryan Flores Barrientos."
Following his arrest on September twenty-third, Barrientos made a stunning admission. Police report that "Barrientos admitted to detectives that he shot Efrin Evangelista without provocation and hid the gun at a relative's home sometime after the shooting. Detectives were able to secure search warrants and locate the possible firearm used by Barrientos."
Barrientos faces second-degree murder charges and is being held on one million dollars cash-only bond.
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.