Police in the U.S. state of Arizona say a man arrested last month is responsible for a series of deadly shootings in Phoenix past year.
Phoenix police announced Monday afternoon that 23-year-old Aaron Juan Saucedo was taken into custody in connection with the case that authorities said was the work of a serial killer.
During Saucedo's spree, seven people were killed by someone who randomly opened fire on pedestrians and cars in areas of west Phoenix.
Police say it appears Saucedo didn't know any of the victims except for his mother's boyfriend, Raul Romero, who was found shot to death in his driveway.
Police had been hunting for the man dubbed the "serial street shooter" for almost a year.
"Today is a good day in the city of Phoenix", Mayor Greg Stanton said.
But police now say Saucedo is responsible, at least in part, for more carnage than any other serial killer in the Valley of the Sun in more than a decade.
Saucedo had been arrested last month in connection with a separate 2015 killing, police said.
Police did not identify a motive, nor did they offer details about what specifically had convinced them that Saucedo was connected to all nine slayings.
After Saucedo was booked in Romero's death, investigators examined an avalanche of evidence - surveillance video, witness statements, and ballistics - looking for links to the other unsolved shootings.
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According to court documents, Saucedo was arrested last month in connection with an August 16, 2015 fatal shooting near Bethany Home Road and Seventh Street in Phoenix.
"Sometimes these dry spells go on for years, but people shouldn't mistake that for cases being dormant", said Mary Ellen O'Toole, a former Federal Bureau of Investigation profiler who directs George Mason University's forensic science program.
Saucedo has pleaded not guilty in that killing.
June 10, 2016: A 19-year-old man, Manuel Castro Garcia, was shot and killed outside a home around 9:30 p.m.
Another victim whose auto was shot at said police also visited him to show him a lineup. On 12 June, Stefanie Ellis, 33, her daughter Maleah, 12, and family friend Angela Linner, 31, were shot as they listened to music in a auto.
"When they showed me the picture, I did get a little chills", he said.
"The tips that came in were not so specific that it had to come from someone who knew the whole case - they were general and vague in nature, but they were enough to push us in the right direction", Howard says.
All of the killings took place in Hispanic neighborhoods. Most residents of those neighborhoods speak Spanish as their first language.
Though police specifically underscored the BMW sedan, witnesses have described several cars, including a long white Cadillac or Lincoln; a dark Nissan Maxima or Chevrolet Malibu; a light-colored four-door auto; and a dark vehicle with "triangle-shaped" headlights.
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