🌱 Local Inmate Requests Execution + Car Chase Ends In Phoenix Ravine

Hello, friends! Miranda Fraraccio here with your fresh copy of the Phoenix Patch newsletter. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about what's going on locally.

But first, today's weather:

Mostly sunny. High: 65 Low: 44.

Here are the top three stories today in Phoenix:

1. 51-year-old Aaron Gunches, a local inmate, has requested an execution. The Attorney General's Office escalated that request to the Arizona Supreme Court, which has issued four warrants of execution since the practice resumed in 2022. Gunches was originally sentenced to death in 2008 for kidnapping and murdering his girlfriend's ex-husband as well as shooting a DPS trooper. (ABC15 Arizona in Phoenix)
2. A police chase on Tuesday ended when the suspects crashed the car they had stolen into a Phoenix ravine. According to police, the chase began at 8:15 p.m. when officers stopped the car at a light. After the crash, one suspect got out of the car and was caught escaping, but the remaining suspect had to be extracted from the vehicle by the Phoenix Fire Department. (KTAR.com)
3. A shooting on Dec. 7 left two people injured, and police are currently searching for the suspect. The victims, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries, say they know the shooter. Police have not released a description of the suspect nor apprehended the shooter. (FOX 10 News Phoenix)

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Today in Phoenix:

• The Nutcracker At Orpheum Theater Phoenix (7:00 PM)
• Candlelight: Holiday Jazz And Soul Classics At Crescent Ballroom (8:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Phoenix Public Library is hosting Holidays at Harmon in Harmon Park on Saturday, Dec. 17. Between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., visitors can walk through Harmon’s StoryWalk, participate in family activities, and enjoy hot chocolate. (Phoenix Public Library via Facebook)
• If you're headed to CitySkate in Downtown Phoenix this weekend, you can pop by Chico Malo for Pork Belly Tostada or Hanny's for drinks. (Phoenix New Times)
• Today is the Phoenix Animal Care & Treatment Christmas Extravaganza, but it isn't too late to donate harnesses, leads, and collars. (Phoenix Animal Care & Treatment via Facebook)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

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Events:

• Social Security Webinar (December 12)
• Estate Planning Webinar (December 13)
• Estate Planning Seminar at Pecos Community Center (December 13)
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Thanks for following along and staying informed! I'll be in your inbox tomorrow morning with another update.

— Miranda Fraraccio

About me: Miranda Fraraccio is a born and raised Rhode Islander, now living in New York. She works as a staff writer for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and is a graduate of The University of Rhode Island, where she earned a degree in Writing & Rhetoric and Communication Studies. In her free time, you can find her traveling, drinking tea, or photographing her neighborhood as a street photographer.