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www.SanTanSun.com
May 6-19, 2017
1
May 6-19, 2017 www.SanTanSun.com
Man charged after near-tragic barbershop shooting BY JIM WALSH
Michael David Hart got angry over a comment made by the owner of a Chandler tattoo parlor, angry enough to go outside to a car and retrieve a gun from the trunk. What happened next easily could have become tragic. Chandler police accuse Hart, who has a large tattoo of a woman on his neck, of firing into a barbershop next door, narrowly missing a 4-year-old girl who had been sitting in a chair, watching cartoons on television. The girl was cut by broken glass in the April 10 shooting at a strip mall in the 500 block of North Alma School Road. Chandler police worked around the clock and eventually tracked down Hart the next day at a house near Dobson High School in Mesa. A suspected accomplice was arrested at another location nearby, according to court records, but charges against him were dropped. Detective Seth Tyler, a police spokesman, said Hart had been falling asleep in a chair as the owner of the shop tried to give him a tattoo. Hart apparently became enraged when the
(Photos courtesy of Chandler Police Department)
Michael David Hart is accused of firing into a barbershop. A grand jury indicted him on a series of felony charges.
shop owner suggested that he come back while sober. A court document filed by Chandler police detectives said a surveillance video
Rafael Santos was arrested by police as an accomplice in the shooting, but prosecutors have dropped charges against him.
showed the car in which Hart was riding back up, and then pull forward. Three shots rang out, striking the barbershop, even though the tattoo parlor next door was the intended target, the court
document said. “Two shots pierced the glass at the head level of the girl, passing on either side of her head,’’ the report said. “The reaction of the child is immediate, as she turns and flees away from the glass.’’ The court document said Hart had been working at a cabinet company and had a history of arrests on drug and traffic charges. It said Hart attempted to flee from officers who were surrounding the house, but he was taken into custody. Eventually, police found a gun in the room where Hart had been staying. Police quickly identified Hart as a suspect because he was a known customer at the tattoo parlor. Detectives contacted family and friends, including his girlfriend. “The current girlfriend stated that Michael had been involved in a shooting and that he had “popped of(f) some rounds,’’ the court document said. Another friend reported to police that Hart told him he was trying to leave the state because he was in trouble. At the time see
SHOOTING page 10
Chandler mom who gave birth to micro-preemie celebrates his growth BY COLLEEN SPARKS
(Photo by Billy Hardiman)
Becca Longo of Basha High School kicks an extra point during the first half of a home game against Hamilton on Oct. 14, 2016.
Chandler teen becomes first female football player to sign national letter of intent BY JASON SKODA
A Basha High School senior is burning brightly in the national spotlight now, but it all really began more than a decade ago. Becca Longo became the first female football player to sign a national letter
of intent for football, and the news brought national interviews with CNN, ESPN and “Good Morning America.” None of that was the goal when she see
FEMALE PLAYER page 10
SELL YOUR HOME
Mother’s Day is a special time, when women often reflect on how much their babies, whether they are infants or adults, have grown and accomplished. But Chandler resident Mitzie Warner, 39, may be counting her blessings even more than other moms because her baby boy, Dylan, was born prematurely at 1 pound, 8 ounces a little over a year ago. A premature birth is when the baby is born more than three weeks before it is due, according to the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research website. A “very pre-term” baby is one born at less than 32 weeks of pregnancy, the site said. Not only was Dylan born prematurely, with his left eye fused shut, but Warner had struggled since her early 30s to conceive. She and her husband, Jeremy, had suffered heartbreak and spent about
(Photo by Jeremy Warner)
Dylan Warner weighed only 1 pound, 8 ounces when he was born in April 2016. Today, he is thriving. see
PREEMIE page 6
F E AT U R E STO R I E S
More
Mother-daughter business team helps people get organized . . . community . . . Page 9 Entrepreneurs turn oats into big breakfast venture . . . . . . . . . . . . . business . . . . Page 21 Three Chandler high school seniors earn Flinn Scholarship . . . . . . youth . . . . Page 31 Chandler Police Department honors fallen officers . . . . . . . . . . . . neighbors . . . . Page 47 A Toast to the Rat Pack channels Sinatra, Martin and Dean . . . . . . . . . arts . . . . . . Page 67
Community . . . . . . 1-20 Business . . . . . . . . 21-28 Youth . . . . . . . . . . 29-36 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Neighbors . . . . . . 46-62 Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . 63-70 Spirituality . . . . . . . . . 71 Directory . . . . . . . 72-73 Classifieds . . . . . . 74-75 Where to Eat . . . 76-78
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