PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A man will spend the next two decades in prison for shooting at Phoenix police officers and his own mother.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced that 40-year-old Eberto Juan Hernandez, Jr. was sentenced to 20 years in prison earlier this month.
In May 2023, Phoenix police officers went to Hernandez’s home near 39th Avenue and Cactus Road after receiving reports of shots fired.
Officers rang the doorbell, and Hernandez’s mother answered the door. Officials say Hernandez then got up and fired multiple rounds into the couch before running to the back of the home.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced that Eberto Hernandez was sentenced to 20 years in prison.(Arizona’s Family/Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry)
Hernandez continued firing multiple shots from inside, including in his mother’s direction as she tried to take the gun away. Officers set up a perimeter around the home as Hernandez continued shooting. One officer returned fire but missed, and another officer used less-lethal means in an attempt to stop Hernandez.
Ultimately, Hernandez’s mother was able to get the gun away from him, and he surrendered to authorities. Investigators say he fired over 20 rounds before he was.
“Mr. Hernandez turned a neighborhood call for help into a life-threatening situation for his own family and our police officers,” Mitchell said in a statement. “This sentence sends a clear message: when you endanger others with a firearm, especially as a prohibited possessor, you will be held fully accountable.”
Hernandez was convicted on two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, one count of aggravated assault, one count of unlawful discharge of a firearm and three counts of disorderly conduct.
He also received an additional 2.5 years for violating his probation, since he was not allowed to own a gun at the time of the crime.
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