PHOENIX (AP) - Four young men driving around Phoenix “looking for homeless people to shoot” were arrested after a woman was killed outside a fast-food restaurant and a man walking on a sidewalk a few blocks away was wounded, apparently both shot by a pellet rifle, police said.
A third victim wasn’t injured when the rifle was fired at his vehicle, shattering a window, after he refused to surrender his vehicle during a carjacking attempt, police said. That person called 911 and followed the white SUV, which police officers later located and stopped.
Three of the occupants ran but were arrested nearby while the driver was taken into custody without incident, police said. The men told investigators “they were driving around looking for homeless people to shoot” and that they were “looking for people to rob and vehicles to steal,” police said in a court document.
The men didn’t know any of the victims in the three shootings that occurred early Wednesday in north Phoenix. said Sgt. Maggie Cox, a department spokeswoman.
A 38-year-old woman was fatally shot outside a fast-food restaurant and a 17-year-old boy was wounded while walking on a sidewalk several blocks away, police said. Neither was immediately identified by police.
The pellet rifle allegedly used in all three shootings was found during a search of the area where the SUV was stopped, police said.
The suspects were identified as Charles Harris, 19; Troy Brunetti, 18; Larry Scott, 19, and Austin Olson, 21. Each was arrested on suspicion of murder, drive-by shooting, armed robbery and two counts of aggravated assault, Cox said.
They remained jailed Thursday and online court records didn’t list defense attorneys who could comment on the allegations on their behalf.
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This story has been corrected to reflect the spelling of Troy Brunetti’s last name per jail and court records.
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