PHOENIX — Investigators on Friday were trying to determine why a gunman opened fire on vehicles and pedestrians for some 90 minutes across suburban Phoenix, leaving one person dead and a dozen others injured in the string of drive-by shootings.
Authorities believe a man they arrested Thursday acted alone.
There were at least eight separate shootings in three cities that stoked fear throughout the region and shut down parts of major freeways as police gathered evidence. Four people were shot, including the person who died.
Others were injured as bullets shattered glass or as their vehicles crashed. Authorities said the injured victims were all adults and expected to fully recover. Their identities haven’t been released.
One victim was able to give authorities a description of the suspect’s vehicle — a white Volkswagen SUV — and the license plate number. A local fire department spotted the vehicle and called police, who swarmed a retail area.
As officers drew their weapons, the shooter, who has not been identified, raised his hands and did not resist arrest, video shot by a bystander showed. Police don’t believe anyone else was involved in the attacks.
“We don’t know the nexus, we don’t know what the motive was,” said Brandon Sheffert, a spokesman for police in the suburban city of Peoria. “We don’t have an idea of what this person was thinking when he went out and did this.”
