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Arizona lawmaker, county attorney back bill targeting the type of attack that killed Preston Lord

A memorial was held for Preston Lord in at Frontier Family Park Queen Creek on Oct. 28, 2024.
Nate Engle/KJZZ
A memorial was held for Preston Lord in at Frontier Family Park Queen Creek on Oct. 28, 2024.

Maricopa County’s top prosecutor and a state lawmaker are scheduled to hold a news conference on Thursday to formally introduce a bill named in honor of Preston Lord, a teen whose death shined a spotlight on youth violence.

If passed, attacks made by two or more people would be legally defined as aggravated assault and qualify for a tougher penalty.

Seven people are accused of murder for allegedly having beat Lord to death outside a Queen Creek house party in late 2023.

The case, and news coverage of a string of beatings leading up to it, put the name Gilbert Goons in the national lexicon.

Gilbert police later said the group is a hybrid gang, which lacks the features of a traditional gang and meant there was not enough evidence to pursue gang-related charges.

Now County Attorney Rachel Mitchell is set to publicly endorse a bill sponsored by Rep. Matt Gress (R-Phoenix) that would target those who take part in the type of group attack that killed Lord.

Matthew Casey has won Edward R. Murrow awards for hard news and sports reporting since he joined KJZZ as a senior field correspondent in 2015.