Police have identified new victims in a deadly series of Phoenix street shootings that resulted in the arrest of a 23-year-old suspect.

#SerialStreetShooter now linked to 12 incidents and 9 murders - here they are: @abc15 pic.twitter.com/NZ12skaWJB — Jason Volentine (@jasonvolentine) May 8, 2017

Officials announced Monday that Aaron Saucedo is facing 26 charges in connection with 12 shootings that happened between August 2015 and July 2016.

RELATED: Full coverage of Phoenix serial street shootings

Police initially linked seven deaths and nine shooting incidents over a four-month period to the Phoenix Serial Street Shooter.

Chief Jeri Williams said police have linked Saucedo to two additional killings -- the August 2015 homicide of 61-year-old Raul Romero, and the January 2016 death of Jessie Olivas -- in the course of their investigation.

Saucedo knew Romero through his mother, but did not know the other victims, police say.

ABC15 first confirmed on April 24 that Saucedo had been identified as a person of interest in the high profile case, after he had already been taken into custody in connection with Romero's death.

Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams says tips from the public led to Saucedo being linked to last year's killings.

. @phoenixpolice - Freeway shooting evidence was used to identify the Serial Street Shooter but the two crime sprees are NOT related. @abc15 — Jason Volentine (@jasonvolentine) May 8, 2017

Saucedo was being held on first-degree murder charges in Romero's death when police announced new charges in the serial street shootings case.</s>Aaron Saucedo was arrested this week in connection with a fatal shooting in 2015 and is being considered a "person of interest" in the Serial Street Shootings that terrorized the Phoenix area over four months in 2016. Man held in Phoenix 'Serial Street Shooter' case PHOENIX -- Aaron Saucedo was arrested this week in connection with a fatal shooting in 2015 and is being considered a "person of interest" in the Serial Street Shootings that terrorized the Phoenix area over four months in 2016.

Start the conversation, or Read more at The Arizona Republic.</s>Phoenix police say 23-year-old Aaron Saucedo carried out string of shootings that left nine people dead over a two year period.

Police in Phoenix, Arizona believe they have the man responsible for killing nine people in a string of shootings over a two year period.

Suspect 23-year-old Aaron Saucedo was already behind bars in connection with a separate murder.

The killings happened between 2015 and 2016. Under the cover of darkness, victims were killed in driveways, in cars or just steps from their homes. The assailant was nicknamed "The Serial Street Shooter."

Investigators say hundreds of tips from the public led to the arrest.</s>The gunman who terrorized Phoenix last year with a series of seemingly random shootings — killing nine people in four months — is behind bars, police said Monday.

A tip from the community led investigators to Aaron Saucedo, 23, and detectives were able to link him to the string of attacks by analyzing ballistics evidence, surveillance video and witness statements, police said.

"Today is a good day in the city of Phoenix," said the city's mayor, Greg Stanton, praising the law-enforcement task force that hunted the shooter for nearly a year.

"They had a clear mission: bring this killer to justice and get it right."

The gunman's targets included men, women and children, many of them ambushed near their homes in a working-class neighborhood between August 2015 and July 2016. A mother and her 12-year-old daughter were shot dead in one incident; a man and his 4-year-old nephew escaped unhurt in another.

Police said they have not identified a motive but they believe Saucedo acted alone.

"We hope that out community will rest a little easier and that our officers will get a little more sleep knowing that the wheels of justice are finally in motion," Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams said.

Sylvia Ellis, the mother and grandmother of two victims, said she was reeling from news of the charges against Saucedo after the trail seemed to have grown cold for so long.

"I'm really just shocked," she said.

Authorities realized they had a serial shooter on the loose in June after finding links in crime-scene evidence from five shootings. As the weeks went on, and more cases were tied to the same shooter, police stepped up public appeals for tips.

More than 3,000 calls and emails came into the Silent Witness program before a multi-agency task force got their big break: a tip that led them to take a close look at Saucedo and that will yield a $75,000 reward.

A survivor of one shooting recently told News 12 that after police showed up at his home with photos, he recognized Saucedo's face.

"When they showed me the picture, I did get a little chills," he said.

Saucedo was taken into custody last month and first charged with the August 2015 murder of 61-year-old Raul Romero — a homicide that hadn't yet been linked to the pattern. On Monday, he was booked on 26 additional felony counts, including another slaying that had not previously been tied to the serial shooter.

The Maricopa County prosecutor said his office had not yet decided which charges they would bring to trial.

Police said they investigated whether Saucedo might be the so-called Phoenix freeway shooter believed responsible for almost 12 incidents, none fatal, on I-10 in 2015. However, they said, none of the evidence between the two series matched.

Sgt. Jonathan Howard, a police spokesman, said it was possible more incidents might be tied to the suspect. The shootings ended abruptly in July amid a massive publicity effort, and Howard said Saucedo did tell investigators he had changed his appearance and stopped driving his BMW around that time.

"It's been said that serial killer is like a chameleon and that's what made this case so frustrating," U.S. Marshal David Gonzales said.
• Shots fired into a home on Aug. 12, 2015; no one was hurt.
• Raul Romero, 61, was murdered near his car on Aug. 16, 2015.
• Jesse Olivas, 22, was shot dead on the street on Jan. 1, 2016.
• A 16-year-old boy wounded while walking in the street at 11:30 p.m. on March 17, 2016.
• A 21-year-old male shot standing near his car on the street at 11:30 p.m. on March 18, 2016.
• Horacio Pena, 32, fatally shot June 3 after returning home from his job at a group home
• Manuel Castro Garcia, 19, murdered outside his home on June 10, 2016.
• Stefanie Ellis, 33, her 12-year-old daughter Maleah and friend Angela Linner, 31, killed outside their home on June 12, 2016.
• An unoccupied car shot up at 2:35 a.m. on June 12, 2016.
• Shots fired into a car on July 11, 2016; a man and a 4-year-old boy inside escaped unhurt.</s>For more than a year, a phantom gunman lurked in Phoenix.

Known as the “Serial Street Shooter” because of where the victims were targeted, the killer gunned down nine people in a dozen separate shootings in 2015 and 2016, according to police.

The gunman struck at night, stalking victims to their homes or cars and opening fire on them under the cover of darkness.

The case confounded investigators, who struggled to square the conflicting descriptions of the suspect and the vehicle used in the crimes.

Most of the slayings took place in West Phoenix, a predominantly Latino neighborhood. As month after month went by without an arrest, volunteers started conducting safety patrols. Parents kept their children inside, away from the windows. When evening fell, streets would clear.

It bore a striking resemblance to the fear in the Washington, D.C., region stoked by a series of sniper attacks in fall 2002 that claimed 10 lives before two men were arrested and ultimately convicted.

On Monday, after running down thousands of tips from the community, Phoenix police said they finally found the person they were looking for.

Aaron Juan Saucedo, 23, of Phoenix, was arrested and charged with 26 felony counts of homicide, aggravated assault and drive-by shooting, Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams announced.

Investigators had initially focused on seven fatal shootings they believed were connected. But police said Monday that Saucedo had killed nine victims in 12 separate shootings. All but one of the victims were strangers to Saucedo, according to police.

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

“We hope that our community will rest a little easier and that our officers will get a little more sleep knowing that the wheels of justice are finally in motion,” she said.

Saucedo has been in police custody since last month, when he was arrested and held on $750,000 bail in connection with the fatal shooting of his mother’s boyfriend, 61-year-old Raul Romero.

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. But Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Jonathan Howard told the Arizona Republic that a “wide host of evidence” – including ballistics, surveillance and witness testimony – made clear he was the killer.

“It goes on and on,” Howard said.

A defense attorney for Saucedo did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Monday night.

Saucedo did not have a previous criminal record in Arizona. According to the Republic, he worked briefly as a municipal bus driver and was employed at a temp agency around the time of his arrest in April.

Authorities said Saucedo’s violence began on Aug. 12, 2015. That night, police said, he shot into a stranger’s house. No one was injured.

Four days later, Saucedo gunned down Romero, the only victim he appeared to have known personally, according to police.

Several months passed before another victim was felled by gunfire. Police said in the early hours of Jan. 1, 2016, Saucedo shot and killed Jesse Olivas in a drive-by shooting as the 22-year-old was standing in front of a home.

The rest of the victims were gunned down between March and July 2016, in a four-month rampage that terrorized the city. Among those killed were Stephanie Ellis and her 12-year-old daughter, who were shot to death along with a family friend as they sat listening to music in their car.

Ellis’s mother, Sylbia Ellis, said police told her Monday morning that they had arrested her daughter and granddaughter’s killer. She told the Republic she was still trying to process the news.

“My mind is all over the place. My body is in shock,” Ellis said. “I’m trying to get myself together.”

When the shootings stopped last July, investigators said Saucedo likely changed his appearance and started driving a different car. Earlier reports said he was driving a late-1990 to early 2000 BMW.

“It’s been said that a serial killer is like a chameleon, and that’s what made this case so frustrating,” U.S. Marshal for Arizona David Gonzales told the Phoenix New Times.

Investigators pursued some 3,300 tips, while federal authorities conducted behavioral analyses and ballistics testing.

Police notified all the victims’ families Monday before publicly announcing Saucedo’s arrest.

“Our hearts go out to the surviving families,” Williams, the police chief, said. “Today we are closer to providing them the justice they deserve.”

During the height of Saucedo’s alleged killing spree, in summer of 2016, locals described West Phoenix as a “ghost town.” Residents were clearing out of public spaces around dusk. Some even reported sleeping in back bedrooms to stay safe.

Rosa Pastrana, the head of a neighborhood watch group in the area where most of the shootings took place, told the Associated Press she felt relieved after hearing about Saucedo’s arrest.

“I’m happy my kids are going to be able to walk outside,” she said, “and I won’t have to fear that they’re going to get shot.”</s>A 23-year-old man in Phoenix, Arizona, has been charged with nine murders which took place last year.

Aaron Saucedo is accused of carrying out the separate slayings which police previously described as the work of a serial killer.

He was taken in to custody on April 19 on suspicion of killing his mother's boyfriend in 2015.

A tip from a member of the public led to his arrest for the eight other murders, police revealed on Monday.

At a press conference announcing his arrest, Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams said the arrest brought the families of the nine people killed 'closer to justice'.

'Our hearts go out to the surviving families. Today we are closer to providing them the justice they deserve.'

Police have been working to solve the killings for more than a year. During their hunt, they began referring to the suspect as the 'serial street shooter'.

Between March and July last year, seven people were killed by the murderer who randomly opened fire on pedestrians and cars in areas of west Phoenix.

The gunman committed the murders while driving one of a handful of cars including a black BMW 5-series and a white Cadillac.

Detectives produced sketches based on statements provided by witnesses and survivors and police stumped up a $75,000 reward for information which might trace him but the killer went unstopped for more than a year.

They received more than 3,000 tips from worried members of the community.

In April, detectives investigating the death of 61-year-old Raul Romero arrested Saucedo.

Romero was killed in August 2015 at an apartment complex. He was dating Saucedo's mother at the time.

Police honed in on the 23-year-old after learning that he owned a 9mm handgun at the time of the killing. He pawned it days after Romero's death.

The next victim after Romero was 22-year-old Jesse Olivas who was shot dead on January 1, 2016.

He was found outside a home with multiple gunshot wounds and died in hospital.

The next killing came on April 1. Diego Verdugo-Sanchez, 21, was shot outside a home at around 9pm.

Next came the death of Krystal Annette White, a 55-year-old who was gunned down in the street at 4.30am on April 19.

On June 2, 32-year-old Horacio De Jesus Pena was shot while he stood outside a home shortly before 10pm.

Teenager Manuel Castro Garcia died next. The 19-year-old was gunned down on June 10 at 9.30pm while he stood outside a different house.

The bloodiest killings came on June 12 when 33-year-old Stefanie Ellis, her 12-year-old daughter Maleah and 31-year-old friend Angela Linner were gunned down in the street at 3am.

Several others were injured in separate incidents when the gunman opened fire in residential areas.

Mayor Greg Stanton revealed on Monday that a tip from the public identified Saucedo as the serial street shooter.

'Today is a good day in the city of Phoenix.

'When it became apparent there was a serial shooter terrorizing our communities, our investigators did not rest. They worked every lead to bring this killer to justice.

'I am grateful for the acxtive citizens who helped this case. Those tips led directly to where we are today. It is our residents and our law enforcement working together that has helped put a community at ease.'

Chief Williams added: 'This case plagued our community for more than a year and left behind a trail of victims that included mothers, sons, sister, brothers, sisters.'</s>The police investigation into the case dubbed the Serial Street Shooter appeared to have stalled recently — leads and information about the case had dwindled.

From August 2015 to July 2016, someone was gunning down victims after dark in a largely Latino neighborhood of Phoenix as they stood outside homes or sat in cars.

On Monday, Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams and Mayor Greg Stanton appeared with Maricopa County officials to announce there had been a break in the case.

Police last month had arrested a former city bus driver in the killings, 23-year-old Aaron Juan Saucedo, who faces 26 felony counts of homicide, aggravated assault and drive-by-shooting for 12 shootings.

"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 at a news conference.

"The case finally broke when Saucedo was arrested last month in connection with the August 2015 fatal shooting of a man, 61-year-old Raul Romero, who had a relationship with Saucedo's mother. Authorities investigated Saucedo more closely and connected him to the serial killings. "Police say that after Romero's killing, Saucedo struck again about four months later in killing 22-year-old Jesse Olivas, who was gunned down on New Year's Day 2016 while standing in front of a home. "The suspect then went on a killing spree from March of last year through July, police said. "In the end, nine people were killed in 12 separate shootings. All of the killings were random except for the first one, Williams said. 'We hope that our community will rest a little easier and that our officers will get a little more sleep knowing that the wheels of justice are finally in motion,' she said."



In July, police released a sketch of the suspected shooter and the apparent end to the shootings was attributed to the media push.

Lydia Lopez, the mother of Jesse Olivas, said she suspected her son's death was connected to the Serial Street Shooter. He was killed months before most of the other victims.

" 'I had a gut feeling it was him,' she told paper on Monday. " 'Look,' she said, holding up a flier of the shooter's sketch and vehicle. 'I've had this on my refrigerator. ... Every day I would just pass by and touch it and pray, "Lord get him. ... Stop him from hurting other families." ' "



Authorities say they don't know the motive behind the shootings.</s>(UPI) — Phoenix police said they arrested a man suspected in a series of random shootings that killed nine people since August 2015.

Aaron Juan Saucedo, 23, in custody since a separate April 19 shooting, was booked again into Maricopa County Jail on 26 charges, including murder, attempted murder, drive-by shooting and aggravated assault related to the serial attacks, police Chief Jeri Williams said Monday.

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said 3,300 tips to an anonymous hotline directed police to Saucedo.

A $75,000 reward will be paid, police spokesman Sgt. Jonathan Howard said.

Saucedo was arrested in April and held on $750,000 bond in the death of Raul Romero, 61, in August 2015. Romero had been dating Saucedo’s mother at the time of his death.

Police connected Saucedo to the actions of the so-called Serial Street Shooter, whose victims seemed to be chosen at random. Police accuse Saucedo of killing nine people, injuring two and firing at three more without causing injuries in 12 shooting incidents between August 2015 and July 2016.

Howard said a motive had not yet been determined, but police have obtained incriminating statements from Saucedo, who has no criminal record other than a traffic offense. Officials indicated there is no evidence he had an accomplice in the shootings.

“Our officers did not rest. They followed the evidence. They had a clear mission: Bring the killer to justice and get it right. This is a good day in the city of Phoenix,” Stanton said.</s>A man was arrested Monday in a string of serial killings that terrified a Phoenix neighborhood last year, a huge break in a case that involved nine deaths and a dozen separate shootings.

Aaron Juan Saucedo, 23, faces 26 felony counts of homicide, aggravated assault and drive-by-shooting, said Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams.

Most of the killings by a gunman dubbed the Serial Street Shooter took place in a predominantly Latino neighborhood between August 2015 and July 2016.

The investigation into the serial killings had focused 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.

The shooter stalked victims after dark, police have said, selecting people who were either outside of their homes or sitting in cars before opening fire with a handgun.

The Phoenix police chief and mayor appeared alongside other top officials including the 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," William said.

Saucedo was arrested last month in connection with the August 2015 fatal shooting of a man who had a relationship with his mother, 61-year-old Raul Romero. Authorities investigated him more closely and connected him to the serial killings.

Police say that after Romero's killing, Saucedo struck again about four months later in killing 22-year-old Jesse Olivas, who was gunned down on New Year's Day 2016 while standing in front of a home.

The suspect then went on a killing spree from March of last year through July, police said.

In the end, nine people were killed in 12 separate shootings. All of the killings were random except for the first one, Williams said.

She credited tips and tireless work by Phoenix police detectives and partner federal agencies for Saucedo's arrest.

"We hope that our community will rest a little easier and that our officers will get a little more sleep knowing that the wheels of justice are finally in motion," Williams said.

Police said the killings were unrelated to a series of 2015 freeway shootings in Phoenix that terrified drivers.

But in a strange quirk, the Department of Public Safety said Saucedo's gun from the killing of his mother's friend had been test-fired as part of the freeway shooting probe.

The weapon was the same type used in the freeway shootings — a High-Point 9mm pistol — but authorities say Saucedo had nothing to do with that case.

The department said it did not conduct ballistics tests on the gun and returned it to the pawn shop a few days later because investigators identified who they believed was the suspect in the freeway shootings case.

His case was ultimately thrown out however, but investigators still believe he's the culprit.

Police did not provide a motivation or details about why they believe Saucedo opened fire. The Associated Press was unable to reach Saucedo's public defender on Monday.

Marina Smith, the partner of 21-year-old Diego Verdugo-Sanchez, who was gunned down on April 1, 2016, said she welcomed news of the arrest but was still struggling with his loss.

Smith was seven months pregnant with the couple's child when Verdugo-Sanchez was fatally shot in front of a home.

Smith said she had grown frustrated over the past year as detectives kept her in the dark about the investigation.

"The fact of them finding somebody, at least it was some type of news," Smith said.

Police say Saucedo shot at two teenage boys on March 17, 2016, striking one of them in the arm. The suspect struck again the next day but didn't kill anyone.

The next shooting didn't happen until April 1, 2016, when Verdugo-Sanchez was fatally shot.

Police also have linked Saucedo to the April 19, 2016 death of 60-year-old Krystal White; the June 3, 2016, death of Horacio de Jesus Pena; and to the killings of two women, Angela Linner and Stefanie Ellis, and 12-year-old girl Maleah Ellis on June 12, 2016. He killed Manny Castro Garcia on June 10, 2016.

In the most recent attack on July 11, 2016, a 21-year-old man and his 4-year-old nephew escaped injury after the gunman shot at a vehicle they were sitting in.

Rosa Pastrana, the head of a block watch group in the Maryvale neighborhood hardest hit by the killings, was relieved after hearing news of the arrest.

"I'm happy my kids are going to be able to walk outside and I won't have to fear that they're going to get shot," Pastrana said.

Pastrana said she spearheaded a neighborhood effort to encourage residents to talk to police.

Some residents were apathetic at first but many got involved as the shootings continued, she said.</s>PHOENIX - The first time 12 News viewers heard from Clint Van Zandt back in July 2016, when the former FBI profiler drew a rough sketch of the Serial Serial Shooting suspect.

This week, Phoenix police have arrested Aaron Saucedo, 23, and accused him of 12 shootings and nine killings in the string of violent crimes.

"He may well be playing a waiting game against law enforcement, fully realizing that law enforcement can only be leaning forward in the saddle for so long," Van Zandt said.

That was the time the trail seemed to grow cold for investigators. But in actuality, police were working the patterns identified by profilers, like where the shooter was likely to operate.

"Either someplace very close to their home or their residence," Van Zandt said.

RELATED: Family of Serial Street Shooter's first alleged victim speaks out

He went on to say that it is not unusual to be where they work or sometimes at a distant point and then start working their way back again.

The first shootings in the 2016 string were in central Phoenix a few miles from Saucedo's home. The gunman then ventured farther west to the Maryvale neighborhood near 65th Avenue and Indian School. Then in August 2016, viewers heard Van Zandt caution against premature conclusions about who the killer might be.

"Eyewitness testimony many times is the worst possible testimony we can get," he said.

But he commended Phoenix detectives Monday for wading through more than 3,300 tips and identifying a crucial clue in the case.

"Witnesses knew the car that the shooter might have been driving: the dark-colored or black BMW," Van Zandt said.

With the vehicle information and a sketch of a possible suspect in police hands, Van Zandt says FBI profilers then likely reminded detectives of another serial shooter trait.

"The believed shooter is quickly going to change his physical appearance," he said. "He's going to get rid of a weapon he may have had. He's going to get rid of a car he may have been driving."

 

 That's exactly what Saucedo did after a mid-summer media blitz for information.

"He has told (detectives) that he did, after that ... changed his appearance and stopped driving his BMW," Phoeniix PD spokesperson Sgt Jonathan Howard told a packed Monday afternoon press conference.

And as for the gun used in the crimes, Phoenix police say Saucedo tried to get rid of at least one weapon during his deadly shooting spree by selling it at a pawn shop.

Saucedo has been charged with at least 26 counts in 12 separate shooting incidences, including nine fatalities.

MAP: See the Serial Street Shootings mapped out across Phoenix
The Phoenix, Arizona police arrest the suspected Maryvale serial shooter.