Arizona Man Opens Fire on Apartment Complex After Cocaine Offer Rejected

A Scottsdale man was arrested after allegedly firing 10 rounds at an apartment complex following a dispute where neighbors refused to take cocaine with him. The suspect, 49-year-old Samuel Ellery Sedgwick, reportedly approached residents of the complex near Miller and Osborn roads on Thursday morning, appearing to be in an altered state as he offered them cocaine.

When the residents rejected his offer, Sedgwick allegedly stated that the refusal was “offensive to his culture” and proceeded to assault one of the individuals. According to court documents, another person intervened by striking Sedgwick twice in the face with a claw hammer. The suspect then brandished a firearm, threatened those present, and struck the injured man with the gun before fleeing the scene.

Sedgwick reportedly returned to his nearby apartment, where he observed a chipped tooth in a mirror. Enraged, he rode his bicycle back to the apartment complex and discharged approximately 10 rounds from a firearm. One bullet penetrated a parking structure and struck a neighboring unit, while another hit a window and the ceiling of an apartment.

Responding officers, including patrol units, the Bike Unit, Street Crimes Unit detectives, K9 units, and Special Assignments Unit detectives, quickly apprehended Sedgwick. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment before being taken to the Maricopa County jail. One victim was also hospitalized.

Investigators found Sedgwick's firearm discarded in a dumpster. Ammunition and a plastic bag containing a white powdery substance were discovered in his residence. Sedgwick has a prior record, having been booked in 2020 for domestic violence and endangerment. He also faced charges of aggravated assault and threatening or intimidating with injury or damage to property.

Sedgwick is scheduled for a preliminary court hearing on October 26.