'Serial Street Shooter' Accused of 9 Murders

Police say suspect terrorized Phoenix last year
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted May 9, 2017 1:49 AM CDT
Suspect Accused of Killing 9 in Phoenix Serial Shootings
This undated photo provided by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office shows Aaron Saucedo.   (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office via AP)

A suspect now in custody is behind the "Serial Street Shootings" that terrorized Phoenix for months, police say. Aaron Juan Saucedo, 23, was booked Monday on a total of 26 charges relating to 12 shooting incidents that left nine people dead, the Arizona Republic reports. Saucedo was initially arrested last month in connection with the August 2015 shooting death of 61-year-old Raul Romero. Police say that unlike later victims, who appear to have been chosen at random, Romero had a personal connection to Saucedo: At the time he was killed, he was dating Saucedo's mother. Police say they've also linked Saucedo to the January 2016 shooting death of 22-year-old Jessie Olivas, ABC15 reports.

The other shootings happened between March and July last year. The youngest victim was 12-year-old Maleah Ellis, whose mother was also killed. Witnesses told police the gunman was a young Hispanic man. A Phoenix police spokesman told reporters Monday that no motive has been identified, but Saucedo, a Phoenix resident who has worked as a bus driver, is linked to the shootings by a "wide host" of evidence, including ballistics and surveillance. Police say a $75,000 reward will be given to the tipster or tipsters who provided information that led them to Saucedo. (More Phoenix stories.)

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