New Mexico man sentenced to 20 years for attempted murder of construction worker
(FLORENCE, AZ) - A New Mexico man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the attempted murder of a construction worker on the jobsite.
On August 28th, 2023, Pinal County Superior Court Judge Danielle Harris sentenced Michael Tyner, 40, to 20 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections.
Tyner pled guilty to Attempt to Commit First Degree Murder, a Class Two Felony with two prior felony convictions.
In April 2022, the Gila River Police Department responded to the area of Gilbert Road and Hunt Highway reference a shooting. Officers located a man on a construction site who sustained two gunshot wounds to the lower back and leg. Witnesses on scene described the suspect as a man wearing a long sleeve blue shirt and jeans with long hair. The suspect had fled the scene.
During the course of the investigation, officers attempted to pull over a Toyota Tacoma and the driver refused to stop. A vehicle pursuit was initiated, which led through Sacaton and Chandler, coming to an end when the driver of the vehicle collided with a Chandler Police patrol unit near Gilbert and Riggs Roads. The driver, identified as Michael Tyner, was taken into custody. Investigators noted Tyner matched the description of the shooting suspect.
The shooting victim told officers he was working on a job site as a driller when he noticed another man holding a metal pipe with long hair. While the victim thought the man was another worker, that’s when he got shot and suddenly felt pain in his back and fell to the ground. The victim indicated the suspect continued to shoot at him while he was on the ground. The victim indicated he did not know the suspect, who eventually ran away.
Investigators were able to locate a Toyota Tacoma on surveillance video at the construction site. When shown a photo array, both a witness and the victim positively identified Tyner as the suspect.
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