Mesa police arrest couple in connection to fatal shooting
Mesa police arrested a married couple on Friday for their suspected involvement in the fatal shooting of a 31-year-old man.
Officers were called to the area of Country Club Drive and Eighth Avenue on Wednesday for reports of a "man down" in the roadway, according to Mesa police spokesperson Brandi George. The victim, later identified as Jose Olvera Ramirez, was shot and pronounced dead at the scene.
No shell casings were found near his body and there were no witnesses, according to George. In surveillance video, detectives saw Olvera interacting with someone in a white car 10 minutes before police were called to the scene. The driver was wearing a hat with the letters "NY" on it, and the car had "identifiable damage" to the bumper.
Officers obtained the license plate as the car was picked up by other surveillance cameras. The registered owner was identified as Heath Daniel, 33.
Phone records showed Daniel's phone was in the area of the shooting at the time it happened, according to George.
Officers served search warrants and found a hat with "NY" written on it as well as an empty box for a .45 caliber pistol in Daniel's house. His car was found at a relative's house with fired and unfired .45 caliber casings. Daniel and his wife, Vanessa Daniel, 37, had asked the relatives to hold on to the car and to a box of cartridges, George said.
Police also learned Daniel had said he shot a man and showed a gun to a person.
With the assistance of the Department of Public Safety, Daniel and his wife were found in a vehicle traveling southbound on Interstate 10 toward Tucson on Friday. The couple was taken back to Mesa and booked into jail.
Daniel was booked on suspicion of first-degree murder and prohibited possessor and is being held on a $500,000 bond. His wife was booked on suspicion of hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence.
It was unclear if Olvera knew the suspects or what led up to the shooting.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mesa police arrest couple in connection to fatal shooting
