Arizona Serial Killings Reveal Critical Gaps in Public Safety and Law Enforcement Response

In a grim reminder that public safety remains a paramount concern, the recent conviction of Cleophus Cooksey Jr. on eight counts of murder shines a harsh light on the vulnerabilities within Arizona’s law enforcement and community protection frameworks. Over just three weeks in 2017, Phoenix and Glendale were terrorized by a series of brutal shootings that targeted random victims—including Cooksey's own family members—before his eventual arrest. Cooksey’s spree left eight people dead, many shot execution-style with little to no clear motive publicly provided by authorities. The timeline reveals chilling details: from two young men found shot inside a car to...