Details emerge from 911 call during which woman fatally shot at Glendale home

A 20-year-old Glendale mother who was killed on Sunday, by who police suspect was her ex-boyfriend, was attacked while on the phone with a 911 dispatcher, according to the call recording obtained by The Arizona Republic.

Rueben Xavier Rocha, 22, turned himself in to police on Monday following the murder of who police say is his ex-girlfriend, Jordin “Miranda” Castillo.

On Sunday, just after 2:30 p.m., calls came in to Glendale police regarding “some type of altercation” at an apartment complex near Northern and 51st avenues. Officers found three women with gunshot wounds, including Castillo, who later died at a hospital.

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Officers later learned that Rocha came to the apartment after a social media dispute dressed in all black, with a facemask and a hoodie pulled over his head, Glendale police said during a news conference on Monday.

Rocha entered the third-floor apartment by breaking a glass door on the balcony and fired multiple rounds at three of the six occupants inside, striking all three and ultimately killing Castillo before fleeing, according to police. Among the occupants was Castillo’s 2-year-old daughter, police said.

During the Monday news conference, Castillo’s family tearfully took time to reflect on her.

“She was one of the strongest women I ever knew, super independent, did everything for everyone without ever asking for anything in return,” Castillo’s brother, Elijah Castillo, told reporters. “Because of this, a daughter has to go on with the rest of her life without a mother, a mother has to bury her child, a family doesn’t get to see their little cousin, sister, niece.”

“I just want to say, hug your loved ones, don’t ever leave without saying goodbye, don’t fight for no reason,” her brother said. “I don’t get to see my sister anymore because of this.”

Shooting recorded during 911 call to police

In a 911 call recording obtained by The Republic, a woman is heard talking to a dispatcher yelling “I have an order of protection, you’re going to be arrested! Please leave!” before several shots are heard as well as screaming before the call disconnects. Police identified that woman as Castillo, court documents show.

911 call to Glendale police details shooting death of Jordin ‘Miranda’ Castillo

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When police arrived, they found three women with gunshot wounds and two of them told an officer that “Sparky,” Rocha’s nickname, was responsible for the shooting. All were taken to a local hospital, where Castillo was pronounced dead at 3:13 p.m. from multiple gunshot wounds to her head, neck, torso area, arms and legs, court documents state.

One of the victims, a 20-year-old who is in stable condition according to Glendale police, told investigators that she had heard glass breaking when she saw Rocha, identifying him immediately despite the ski mask and hoodie over his head. She also identified him in a photo lineup, documents say.

The other victim, a 19-year-old female, was in critical but stable condition and unable to speak, according to court documents.

An unidentified man and woman, as well as Castillo’s daughter, were also in the apartment at the time of the shooting.

The man told investigators that two hours prior to the shooting, Castillo argued with a woman in the parking lot while Castillo stood on her apartment’s balcony. Court documents state that the argument had stemmed from “jealousy issues”, with the woman in the parking lot claiming the man in the apartment was “having relations” with Castillo.

According to court documents, the woman in the parking lot and the man in Castillo’s apartment have a child together.

The woman left the area and texted the photo of the man in Castillo’s apartment to Rocha, and texted the man saying he “needed to be careful” of Castillo’s ex-boyfriend, court documents state.

During the Monday news conference, police said that the shooting was tied to a social media dispute. The probable cause statement provided in court documents, however, does not specify if social media was used to interchange messages.

The man told investigators that he saw Rocha climb onto the front balcony of Castillo’s apartment and kick in the glass door, giving him enough time to run to the back bedroom as he believed Rocha was there to hurt him. As he ran, he grabbed Castillo’s child and handed her off to the other woman and locked her in the bathroom, court documents state.

The man said he could hear Castillo and the two other victims telling Rocha to leave, with Rocha saying he came to find him. He then heard Castillo tell Rocha about the order of protection against him while barricaded along the back balcony before hearing multiple gunshots, according to court documents.

Following the shots, the man told police he spotted Rocha getting into his car and leaving the area.

Neighbors told police they heard an argument around 10 to 15 minutes prior to hearing glass breaking and several gunshots. One of the neighbors also told investigators that Rocha, who used to live there with Castillo, had been very abusive with her in the past, court documents state.

As police investigated, they found that Castillo’s order on Rocha had been served on April 7, 2023, leading to his eviction from the complex.

Rocha turned himself in on Monday at around 2:30 p.m. He was booked into jail on multiple charges including one count of premeditated first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault and one count of burglary.

He was held on a $2 million bond with court dates set for June 12 and June 15.

Resources for Arizonans experiencing domestic violence

Republic editor Lillian Boyd contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Details emerge from 911 call during which woman fatally shot at Glendale home