Arizona shooting spree suspect thought people were following him, officials say
The suspected gunman accused of killing one person and injuring a dozen others in a series of drive-by shootings allegedly thought people were after him because of an unrelated shooting, police in Arizona said.
The suspect, Ashin Tricarico, 19, reportedly told police in interviews that he thought every person he drove by was pointing a gun at him, according to NBC affiliate KPNX of Phoenix, which cited search warrants and police.
He told authorities that he thought he was being followed for about a week, the outlet reported.
Last month, Tricarico allegedly shot and wounded a customer while working as a security guard at a Phoenix restaurant. KPNX reported that the man was supposedly drunk and had been asked to leave. Tricarico allegedly told police that he shot the customer in self-defense.
That shooting is being investigated as an aggravated assault case, according to the outlet.
Tricarico is accused of targeting eight locations Thursday in the West Valley area, about 20 miles northwest of downtown Phoenix. Authorities believe the first incident occurred about 11:10 a.m. MT on the border of Glendale and Peoria and continued through the area until Tricarico's arrest at 12:42 p.m.
Surprise police Sgt. Tommy Hale said the suspect was taken into custody without incident after he pulled into a parking lot. He was booked Friday morning on suspicion of murder, aggravated assault, drive-by shooting and endangerment.
The person who was killed was identified by Peoria police as a 56-year-old man. Authorities previously said that four of the victims were shot, and others were injured in resulting car accidents or by shrapnel.
The injured are expected to survive. A motive is not yet clear, police said.
Tricarico allegedly admitted to police that he was involved in two of the shootings, but refused to speak anymore after he was asked about the victim who was killed, according to KPNX.
