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The police department of Surprise, Arizona arrested an individual on Thursday suspected of shooting at other cars. The nearby Peoria Police Department (PPD) said the suspect injured 13 people and killed one person in a series of eight drive-by shootings. The alleged shootings occurred over a 1.5-hour period on Thursday.
The arrested suspect is a white male, a PPD spokesperson said in a Thursday evening press briefing. The spokesperson didn't provide the suspect's name or other identifying details. The shooting appears to be random with no other identifiable motive, police told local news station KNXV-TV. At least one victim was transported to the hospital.
One of the shootings reportedly occurred around noon local time near Bell Road and North 115th Avenue. A subsequent shooting happened just a few minutes later at Loop 303 and El Mirage Road, about 10 miles north of the aforementioned shooting site.
Police detained the suspect after conducting a traffic stop of the suspect's vehicle, Surprise Police Department Sergeant Greg Welch told Newsweek. On Twitter, the Surprise Police Department said that the suspect was driving a white Volkswagon Tiguan, a compact sport utility vehicle.
The Peoria Police Department said that the suspect was possibly connected to "several shootings" in the West Valley region of Phoenix. Authorities didn't provide full details on the other shooting victims. A woman, who reportedly sustained non-threatening injuries in a shooting at 99th Avenue and Northern, was among the victims. Her shooting occurred roughly 13 miles away from the site of the first shooting.
Around 1:13 p.m. local time, authorities advised all nearby West Valley hospitals and other facilities to stay locked down with employees sheltering in place and remaining off the road, according to an emergency regional text message posted on Twitter. The advisement was revoked via text message five minutes later, at 1:18 p.m.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety told KPHO-TV that state highway troopers are still assessing what occurred. To stop traffic from interrupting the investigation, the Arizona Department of Transportation has closed southbound Loop 303 from Lone Mountain Parkway. On-ramps from Lake Pleasant, Lone Mountain and Happy Valley parkways have all also been closed.
Authorities at the Suprise Police Department have said that they will release more information as soon as possible.
Surprise resides within Maricopa County, Arizona's most populous county. Surprise has a population of roughly 135,450 people. Maricopa County has a population of roughly 4,328,810 people. The county has gained national attention due to an ongoing controversial audit of its 2020 election results.
Update (6/17/2021, 7:29 p.m.): This article has been updated to include updated details from the PPD.
