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1 dead, 12 injured in series of drive-by shootings in Arizona; suspect in custody

At least one person was killed in at least eight shootings northwest of Phoenix.
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Arizona police had a suspect in custody after one person was killed and 12 other people were injured in a series of what appeared to be drive-by shootings Thursday.

Peoria police said 19-year-old Ashin Tricarico of the town of Surprise was booked Friday morning on suspicion of murder, aggravated assault, drive-by shooting and endangerment.

"His motive is still unknown at this point as detectives are still sorting through evidence to determine exactly what occurred," the department said in a statement.

Authorities responded to reports of an active shooter in the West Valley, about 20 miles northwest of downtown Phoenix, about 12:30 p.m MT, the Surprise Police Department tweeted initially.

The shooting spree resulted in eight separate incidents within about an hour and a half, Surprise and Peoria police said.

One person is dead and 13 people have been injured after several shootings in the West Valley area outside of Phoenix, Ariz., officials said on June 17, 2021.
One person was dead and 13 people were injured after several shootings in the West Valley area outside Phoenix, officials said Thursday.KPNX

Officials believe the first incident occurred at about 11:10 a.m. on the border of Glendale and Peoria and continued through the area until the suspect was detained at about 12:42 p.m.

At least four of the victims were shot, and others were injured either in resulting car accidents or by shrapnel, Peoria police Sgt. Brandon Sheffert said. The 12 injured people suffered non-life-threatening injuries and are expected to survive.

"We don't know the nexus. We don't know what the motive was. We don't have an idea of what this person was thinking when he went out and did this," Sheffert said. "Obviously, we want to figure this out, because there's a lot of scared people and people this affected."

Peoria police are leading the investigation into the shooting spree, which occurred in multiple jurisdictions.

Surprise police officers took the suspect into custody without incident. He pulled into a parking lot and did not try to fire at police officers during a traffic stop, Surprise police Sgt. Tommy Hale said.

A video posted to TikTok showed several officers, weapons drawn and aimed at the suspect, shouting instructions at him.

The man, his hands up, walked backward on command toward the officers before lowering his wrists and placing them behind his back before he was handcuffed, according to the footage posted by Neil Betrue, pastor at the nearby Church for the Nations.

@neilbetrue

Surprise AZ. Active shooting. One suspect caught. #az #surprise #arizona #fyp #foryoupage

♬ original sound - Neilbetrue

"What I can tell you is that the suspect that we're seeing, the vehicle that we're seeing, he's been taken into custody, and there's no reason for the public to feel unsafe at this time," Hale said.