1 killed, 5 injured, in Mesa, Arizona multiple shooting; Gunman in custody after manhunt

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Reuters/Shannon Stapleton

Reuters/Shannon Stapleton

Police say they have captured the gunman responsible for shooting at least six people at multiple locations in Mesa, Arizona. One person died, and another is in critical condition. The suspect was captured in the Phoenix suburb.

“At 1:09 this afternoon, we took the suspect into custody
that was responsible for these shootings,” Mesa Police
Department Interim Chief John Meza told reporters. The suspect
was captured a little over a mile south of the first scene
without any shots fired.

“[The suspect] was hiding in a vacant condo, and when the
Mesa SWAT team was checking the complex door-to-door, he was
spotted on the balcony. He was taken inside the condo,” MPD
Detective Estaban Flores said during the afternoon briefing.
“He surrendered after being tased.”

There were at least four confirmed shooting scenes in Mesa,
although there could be as many as five or six different
locations, Florez told reporters during an earlier briefing.

The first shooting occurred at the Tri-City Inn around 8:40 a.m.
local time, when three people were shot in a motel room after an
argument. One man was killed, while two women were injured and
transported to a hospital. The gunman continued shooting outside.

“We believe he knew the first victims, at the motel. There
was some sort of altercation or argument at that time,”
Flores said.

The suspect then fled to Bistro 13, a nearby restaurant run by
the East Valley Institute of Technology. There he shot an adult
EVIT student in the shoulder. The male victim ran across West
Main Street to get help from the paramedics at the first shooting
scene. He has been transported to the hospital.

The gunman then stole a car from an EVIT teacher and fled the
location. The grey Honda Accord was not located until just before
he was captured, Florez said.

A bullet struck a car on Main Street in Mesa, shattering a
window, but the woman driving did not appear to be injured, KPHO
reported.

The gunman fled to the Sorrento apartment complex on South
Dobson, where he attempted a home invasion. During that try, the
suspect shot and injured a man, Florez said. A man who called 911
from that location said a woman inside the complex was held at
gunpoint by the suspect, who asked for her car keys and cell
phone, KNXV reported.

A police officer then found another male victim at a different
apartment complex nearby. That victim is in critical condition
after receiving multiple gunshots, Florez said.

“We believe the motive at the other locations was robbery,
transportation and trying to get away,” the detective said.

The suspect is described as a bald, white male in his 40s, with
tattoos on his face and neck. He is wearing a black shirt and
black shorts.

“The [suspect’s] name will not be given out, so as not to
jeopardize the investigation because there are still witnesses to
be interviewed,” Florez said, adding that the police would
release a photo of the man “shortly.”

SWAT teams and law enforcement agents from multiple jurisdictions
worked together to conduct the nearly four-hour manhunt. Officers
searched through multiple apartment complexes, including stopping
all cars driving by to search trunks.

After the gunman was arrested, he was brought out to a transport
vehicle wearing a biological evidence suit and shackles.
Protective suits are often used on suspects whose clothing may
contain DNA and other evidence, Florez said.

The suspect was transported to Banner Desert Hospital after his
capture.

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