1 dead and 12 injured in series of Arizona shootings
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.
The suspect was identified Friday as 19-year-old Ashin Tricarico from Surprise. He has been booked on a count of first degree murder, multiple counts of aggravated assault and drive by shooting, and one count of endangerment, authorities said. His motive remains unclear.
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. The deceased victim was identified Friday as a 56-year-old male, and authorities said the victims ranged in age from 19 to 56 and comprise men and women of various races.
Multiple hospitals in the area were placed on a temporary lockdown as a result of the shootings, but it has since been lifted.
Officer Tommy Hale of the Surprise Police Department said Thursday 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.
"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.
