This week, Silent Witness increased the reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or people responsible in a string of shootings around the Phoenix area.
The reward is now at $30,000. That is a substantial amount considering the typical Silent Witness reward in felony cases is $1,000.
This amount was reached by a combination of factors, one of those being the impact on the community. The series of shootings, which started in March, has struck fear into those living near the crime scenes. The reward's value reflects the importance of the case for not just Phoenix police, but multiple law enforcement agencies.
FULL COVERAGE: Phoenix serial street shootings
Silent Witness is a non-profit and operates on donations. Only a handful of departments across our state have pitched in.
"We have local, county, state and federal partners who came together," said Sgt. Jamie Rothschild with Silent Witness. "The Maricopa County Attorney's Office, DPS, the FBI, the [U.S.] Marshals Service - everyone has come to the table and kicked in towards the reward because they want to find the people or person who is responsible for these crimes."
That money could also be split among a group of people, depending on the information that is provided. Sgt. Rothschild used this example, saying - one person could call in a suspect's name, while another could give a vehicle description and a third person could give a location that is important to the investigation. Sgt. Rothschild explained that there is a board of civilians who look into that information and decided whether or not that information was instrumental in an arrest. If so, they can then divide the money.
ABC15 also asked, could that reward rise further?
Sgt. Rothschild did not rule that possibility out, but said - it was already a substantial reward right now.
He said, hopefully those who have information will come forward, regardless of the reward amount.
Sgt. Rothschild also explained how anonymity is a priority - saying, they do not collect any personal information from those who call in.
If you have any information about the serial shootings case, call 480-WITNESS or 480-948-6377.
