15-02-2025
'Horrible act': Man accused of shooting girlfriend in a car in Surprise
Police accuse a man of killing a woman found shot dead in a vehicle in Surprise after learning the two were involved romantically.
Surprise police announced Friday that Michael Lopez Jr., 51, was charged on suspicion of second-degree murder in the Feb. 9 death of 41-year-old Janice Laborin. Lopez was arrested Thursday following a high-risk vehicle stop, police said.
Just before 11 p.m. on Feb. 9, officers responded to a shooting in a neighborhood near North Dysart Road and West Elm Street and found Laborin in a vehicle with a gunshot wound to the head, the Police Department said. She was taken to a hospital where she later died from her injuries, police said.
Detectives determined Lopez and Laborin were in a romantic relationship, police said.
"It appears to be a horrible act of domestic violence and not a random act of violence," police said in a statement.
According to police, Lopez is also charged on suspicion of six other felony counts:
Two counts of misconduct with weapons, a Class 4 felony.
One count of disorderly conduct with weapons, a Class 6 felony.
One count of discharging a firearm in city limits, Class 6 felony.
He also had two warrants for violating his probation, police added.
Multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in apprehending Lopez, including the U.S. Marshals Service, police said.
The Surprise Police Department is urging anyone in an abusive relationship, or who knows someone in such a situation, to call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call 623-222-4000 or 623-222-TIPS (8477), or email crimetips@
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Surprise woman killed in domestic violence act, police say
