One person was killed and 12 more were injured Thursday after a gunman went on a shooting spree across cities in the West Valley area of Arizona, police said. A suspect has been taken into custody, and officials said they believe he is the only shooter.
At around 11 a.m. local time, police officers in Peoria, Arizona, responded to reports of a person in a white SUV who had fired at another vehicle, Sergeant Brandon Sheffert of the Peoria Police Department said during a preliminary press briefing on Thursday. Over the next hour and a half, the suspect fired shots at seven more locations before he was taken into custody, Sheffert said.
The suspect was taken into custody around 12:42 p.m. local time in Surprise, Arizona, and “complied completely” with law enforcement, Sheffert said. He has not yet been named, but police said he is an adult male. Sheffert said a weapon was recovered from the suspect’s vehicle.
Four people were shot, including the deceased victim, and nine other people were injured. Police did not specify how the other nine were injured, but said all 12 of the other victims are expected to recover. Multiple hospitals in the area were placed on a temporary lockdown as a result of the shootings, but it has since been lifted.
Briefing regarding multiple West Valley Shootings.
Officer Tommy Hale of the Surprise Police Department said that he does not believe there are any other suspects involved with the incident and that “there is no reason” for the public to feel unsafe. An investigation is underway to determine the suspect’s motive.
“Our thoughts go with them,” Sheffert said, in reference to victims and their families as well as the officers and firefighters that responded to the scenes. “This is trying for everybody and this doesn’t normally happen.”
Authorities closed local roads in surrounding areas while officials continue to investigate the incident.
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