Scottsdale man said declining cocaine was ‘offensive to his culture’ before shooting up apartments, police say

The Brief

- Scottsdale police arrested 49-year-old Samuel Sedgwick after a bizarre dispute over rejected cocaine allegedly led him to fire 10 rounds at an apartment building on Thursday morning.
- Investigators say the shooting was sparked when an occupant hit Sedgwick with a hammer to halt an assault, chipping his tooth and prompting Sedgwick to return on a bicycle with a 9mm handgun for revenge.
- Officers captured Sedgwick minutes later as he tried to flee on his bike, and a judge has since ordered him held on a $100,000 cash bond.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – A Scottsdale man unleashed a hail of gunfire at an apartment building in broad daylight after neighbors refused to do cocaine with him and smashed him in the face with a hammer during the melee that followed, according to court documents.

Samuel Ellery Sedgwick is accused of multiple felonies, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and firing a gun at a building, following the Thursday morning rampage near Miller and Osborn roads. A Maricopa County judge set his bond at $100,000.

‘Culture’ clash ends in hammer blows

Timeline:

According to court documents, Scottsdale police were initially dispatched to the apartment complex around 10:45 a.m. on Oct. 15 for an active assault. Investigators said Sedgwick entered a neighbor’s unit uninvited while in what appeared to be an altered state and offered cocaine to the people inside. When the residents turned him down, Sedgwick reportedly claimed the refusal was “offensive to his culture,” tore off his shirt and began beating one of the men with his fists and feet.

The attack escalated when police said a second occupant, fearing the victim was going to be killed, grabbed a claw hammer and struck Sedgwick twice in the face. Police said Sedgwick then pulled a 9mm Glock handgun from his backpack, threatened to murder the occupants, pistol-whipped the injured man across the head and sprayed mace across the apartment before running out the door.

‘No one chips his tooth and gets away with it’

Sedgwick fled to his nearby apartment, where court records show he looked in the mirror, realized the hammer blows had chipped his tooth and flew into a rage, declaring that “no one chips his tooth and gets away with it.” Armed with the handgun, police said Sedgwick hopped on a bicycle and rode back to the scene to carry out his revenge.

Investigators said Sedgwick fired 10 rounds from the complex’s north alleyway. While he believed he was shooting into the apartment where the fight began, the gunfire instead tore through a covered parking structure and struck a neighboring unit. One bullet pierced a window and lodged into the ceiling of that apartment, whose resident was not home at the time.

Responding Scottsdale officers arrived just as shots were ringing out and spotted Sedgwick pedaling away on his bicycle. Multiple units converged on the area and arrested Sedgwick within minutes at a neighboring community. “Sedgwick was quickly apprehended by responding police officers, including patrol officers, Bike Unit officers, Street Crimes Unit detectives, K9 units and Special Assignments Unit detectives,” said Officer Aaron Bolin.

Dig deeper:

Along his path of flight, officers recovered a loaded Glock 45 9mm semi-automatic handgun discarded next to a dumpster.

Sedgwick, who reportedly admitted to arresting officers that he was not allowed to possess a gun because of past felony convictions, was treated at a local hospital for facial injuries before being booked into Maricopa County jail. A search warrant served at his apartment turned up matching ammunition, pepper gel spray and a plastic bag containing a white powdery substance.

One victim was taken to the hospital for treatment of a head injury and possible broken ribs.

What we don’t know:

Investigators haven’t clarified Sedgwick’s exact relationship to the victims beyond noting that they already knew each other.

What’s next:

Sedgwick remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 26.

Scottsdale man said declining cocaine was ‘offensive to his culture’ before shooting up apartments, police say | FOX 10 Phoenix