SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Police have made an arrest after a shooting at a short-term rental traumatized a quiet Scottsdale neighborhood in October.
At an initial appearance hearing in Maricopa County Superior Court this week, police and prosecutors alleged that 18-year-old Matthew Simcox was captured by surveillance video discharging a firearm from the vacation rental home in the direction of a home across the street.
Across that street, an infant was asleep in a room. A prosecutor told the judge that a projectile lodged or struck the wall opposite where the baby was sleeping. No one was injured.
Prosecutors want Simcox charged with four felonies, including endangerment and discharging a firearm at a residence. They requested a $350,000 bond, which was opposed by Simcox's attorney, Carissa Jakobe.
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"My client is only 18. That's not something he can afford," she said, adding that he lives with his parents, has a full-time job at the family business and strong community ties.
She also argued that someone else pulled up to the rental that night and began firing.
"If that is my client on the Ring camera, judge, he is not a convicted felon. He is of age. He can have a firearm and that is self-defense and acting in self-defense for others," Jakobe said.
The judge set Simcox's bond at $250,000. He's due back in court next week.
As ABC15 has reported previously, there is also a separate city court case involving the property owners. The City of Scottsdale is asking a judge to suspend the rental's license for 12 months. That hearing is scheduled for later this month.
Neighbors have been on edge since the Oct. 11 shooting happened in the middle of the night near Roosevelt and 74th streets in south Scottsdale. Police said shots were fired in the home's front yard, backyard and the street.
Police found 58 shell casings and nearby homes were struck by gunfire.
Scottsdale police said their investigation is continuing. Police have cracked down in the last year on loud parties and alleged illegal activity at short-term rentals.
