Author

Reporter Jerod MacDonald-Evoy joined the Arizona Mirror from the Arizona Republic, where he spent 4 years covering everything from dark money in politics to Catholic priest sexual abuse scandals. He brings strong watchdog sensibilities and creative storytelling skills to the Arizona Mirror.
Bill creating committee to study murders of Native women heads to Ducey
By: Jerod MacDonald-Evoy - May 9, 2019
A bill that would create a study committee to examine cases of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls won unanimous approval in the Arizona House of Representatives on Thursday and will now head to the Governor’s desk. House Bill 2570, introduced by Rep. Jennifer Jermaine, D-Chandler, would create a committee to study murders of […]
How a shooting in Benson led DPS to find a defect in their pistols
By: Jerod MacDonald-Evoy - May 8, 2019
As he tried to help his fellow trooper, Marotto drew his own pistol – identical to the one Menard was brandishing – and pressed it into the suspect’s chest, yelling at him to drop the gun or he would shoot.
Two months after discovering gun’s flaw, all DPS firearms were fixed
By: Jerod MacDonald-Evoy - May 6, 2019
After the Arizona Department of Public Safety discovered a flaw in the service pistols carried in the field, troopers were warned of the defect two months before the manufacturer was able to fix them for the agency.
In Arizona, only about 1 in 3 murders of Native Americans get disclosed in FBI crime report
By: Jerod MacDonald-Evoy - May 6, 2019
A study released by a non-profit that examines unsolved murders has found that half of all Native American deaths in the U.S. go unreported to the FBI. In Arizona, only about one in three murders of Native Americans is reported to the FBI, the second-worst rate in the nation. The Murder Accountability Project, also called […]
Ducey signs bill to stop kratom sales to minors
By: Jerod MacDonald-Evoy - May 2, 2019
Kratom is still undergoing evaluations by federal agencies, such as the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Food and Drug Administration, and has been making some medical professionals nervous.
Senate approves committee to study murders of Native American women
By: Jerod MacDonald-Evoy - May 2, 2019
A bill aimed at shining a light on cases of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls, often referred to as MMIWG cases, won unanimous approval in the Arizona Senate Thursday.
Billboard slams Sinema as ‘corrupt’ on net neutrality
By: Jerod MacDonald-Evoy - May 1, 2019
The billboard was paid for by Fight for the Future, a dark money group that focuses on issues related to the internet and internet freedom.
Anti-semitism on the rise in Arizona
By: Jerod MacDonald-Evoy - April 30, 2019
For the third year in a row, Arizona has seen an increase in anti-semitic incidents, according to the most recent data released by the Anti-Defamation League. From 2015 to 2018, Arizona has seen a 700-percent increase in the number of anti-semitic incidents across the state. Nationally, there has been a 99-percent increase. In 2015, there […]
AZ Supreme Court says family courts can determine care, but only in special situations
By: Jerod MacDonald-Evoy - April 25, 2019
The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that family courts have the authority to determine the type of care a child can receive in a case that centered on a divorced couple who disagreed on how to care for their child with gender dysmorphia.
DPS answers questions for KTAR, but not Arizona Mirror
By: Jerod MacDonald-Evoy and Jim Small - April 24, 2019
Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman Trooper Kameron Lee told KTAR on Tuesday that all of the agency’s pistols with major flaws had been fixed by Fabrique Nationale Herstal, the company that manufactured the guns That came as a surprise to us, as we had specifically asked DPS in November 2018 what had been done […]
Arizona lawmakers poised to approve kratom regulations
By: Jerod MacDonald-Evoy - April 23, 2019
Lawmakers are planning to regulate a substance called kratom that is still undergoing evaluations by federal agencies, such as the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Food and Drug Administration, and has been making medical professionals nervous.
How a Reddit thread helped us report on DPS’s firearm problem
By: Jerod MacDonald-Evoy - April 22, 2019
The Arizona Department of Public Safety created a safety bulletin video last year to alert troopers of a flaw in their service pistols that could cause them to fire unexpectedly or not fire at all.