Serial killer suspect in Phoenix went undiscovered for more than a year

PHOENIX (AP) — For more than a year, Phoenix police were stumped by a string of killings in which a shooter stalked victims after dark and gunned them down as they stood outside their homes or sat in their cars. In all, nine people were killed in the case dubbed the Serial Street Shooter.

Police fielded thousands of tips, went door-to-door in a largely Hispanic neighborhood of Phoenix where the shootings happened and analyzed ballistics from a different, unrelated serial shooting case.

On Monday, they announced they had arrested a former city bus driver in the killings while providing scant detail about what motivated him or details about how they made a break in the case, other than to credit tips.

Aaron Juan Saucedo, 23, faces 26 felony counts of homicide, aggravated assault and drive-by-shooting for 12 shootings that took place between August 2015 and July 2016, Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams said.

The investigation into the serial killings had focused on what authorities said were seven fatal shootings. But police on Monday said they had tied Saucedo to nine killings in all – eight random victims and one man that he knew.

Saucedo was a bus driver for the city of Phoenix through a temp agency for several months in July through August 2015, Phoenix police said. Records show Saucedo was pulled over for allegedly running a red light on Oct. 27, 2015, just a month after the first killing.

On Monday, Williams and Mayor Greg Stanton appeared alongside other top officials, including Maricopa County's top prosecutor, to announce the break in a case that had appeared largely stalled in recent months as leads and tips dried up.

"This case plagued our community for more than a year ... and left behind a trail of victims that included mothers, sons, brothers, sisters and families still mourning the loss of their loved ones," Williams said.

Police say they don't know what motivated Saucedo and that he didn't have any connection to any of the eight people who were killed. They said they'd be giving out the $75,000 reward offered for tips, but they wouldn't reveal details about whether the money was going to one person or multiple people.