Ryan Elliot Giroux was identified by Phoenix’s 12 News and AZCentral as the mass shooting suspect in Mesa, Arizona, on Wednesday. The shooting left one dead and five wounded.
#BREAKING: The Southern Poverty Law Center confirmed Ryan Giroux is a known White Supremacist http://t.co/YdcbpKIvIi pic.twitter.com/GlrMQlrrVB
— 12 News (@12News) March 18, 2015
However, officials have not identified a suspect in the case. ABC-15 later reported that a suspect was arrested in the case. According to AZCentral, a source identified the suspect as Giroux and posted a photo of him, via the Arizona Department of Corrections. It says:
Mesa police have captured a suspect matching the description of a man sources identify as Ryan Giroux, who allegedly wounded six people, killing one person Wednesday.
The suspect was taken into custody a few miles from the Main St. and Alma School Rd. shooting scene. Police said during a briefing the suspect was in a vacant condo at Dobson Rd. and 8th Ave. He was spotted on the balcony and was apprehended inside the condo shortly after 1 p.m.
The suspect was hit with a stun gun by Mesa SWAT, then arrested without major incident, police said. He emerged from an apartment, wearing a white hooded jump suit, accompanied by several heavily armed police officers. He was then placed into a gray pickup truck.
ALERT: We are not showing photos of suspect Ryan Elliot Giroux so as not to hamper #Mesa Police investigation
— 12 News (@12News) March 18, 2015
EXCLUSIVE: suspect being led away from apartment complex on Emelita. @12News pic.twitter.com/UAblVNyBjb
— William Pitts (@william_pitts) March 18, 2015
UPDATE: #MesaShooting suspect is Ryan Elliot Giroux, #12News has learned. http://t.co/YdcbpKIvIi
— 12 News (@12News) March 18, 2015
The incident started with an argument inside a room at a motel and spilled outside, leaving three people wounded, Mesa Detective Esteban Flores said. The suspect then shot a person at a nearby restaurant and carjacked a gray Honda Accord. Two more people were wounded at separate apartment complexes, including one during a home invasion.
The shootings prompted an intense hunt for the suspect as Mesa police searched the trunks of cars, interviewed witnesses and brought in SWAT and canine units from other agencies. Flores warned people in the neighborhood to remain indoors.
Several locations in the area were placed on lockdown amid a heavy law enforcement presence. The Arizona Department of Public Safety sent its SWAT team to Mesa to assist with the effort, DPS spokesman Bart Graves said. Scottsdale police also sent SWAT and canine units.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.