PHOENIX — An Arizona man was sentenced to life in prison for five shootings, including one involving a Phoenix Police detective.
Aaron Ware, 25, received life in prison and more than 56 additional years after he was convicted by juries in two separate trials, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced on Tuesday.
Ware and Ahmani Gordon, 26, both shot at a detective in June 2022 when the detective in an unmarked car was doing surveillance near 43rd Avenue and Baseline Road in west Phoenix.
As approximately 19 rounds were fired, the wounded detective, a then-19-year veteran, was shot multiple times and required surgery. While unable to fire back, the ballistic vest she put on minimized the harm she endured.
The two men were arrested about a mile away after the incident. Guns and casings found later linked the two men to the crime.
Ware was convicted in August on three charges for shooting the detective:
- One count of attempt to commit first degree murder, a class two dangerous felony.
- One count of aggravated assault, a class two dangerous felony.
- One count discharge of a firearm at a structure, a class three dangerous felony.
The 25-year-old was also convicted of four shootings that took place in June of 2025. Two shootings on June 7 saw three people wounded, and no one was injured in the other two incidents.
Ware faced the following counts for the other four shootings:
- Four counts of aggravated assault, a class three dangerous felony.
- Two counts of discharge of a firearm at a structure, a class two dangerous felony.
- Two counts of drive-by shooting, a class two dangerous felony.
- One count of unlawful discharge of a firearm, a class six dangerous felony.
- One count of disorderly conduct, a class six dangerous felony.
For shooting the detective, Gordon was previously sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of aggravated assault, a class two dangerous felony. He was not involved in the other shootings.
“When someone puts our community and the people protecting it in danger, there has to be real consequences,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a press release.
“This sentence is justice not only for the victims, but for every person in Maricopa County who deserves to live without fear of violence in their neighborhood.”
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