An Arizona man shot dead an innocent woman who was waiting at a bus stop before driving off and leaving her for dead, police said
The incident was caught on camera around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to Law & Crime. Andrew Rada, 44, pulled up to a gas station in Mesa, Arizona, and fired the shots from an “AK-47 style rifle”, the Mesa Police Department said in a probable cause statement obtained by the outlet.
Officials responded to multiple 911 calls stating that the victim, later identified as Michelle Flippin, 52, was found covered in blood.
Flippin was at a bus stop south of the gas station. Authorities discovered her body and declared her dead at the scene, the outlet reported.
Rada fled in a burgundy Dodge Ram truck minutes after the shooting. Police found the vehicle, pulled the suspect over and took him into custody. An unnamed vehicle passenger was also detained for an unrelated crime, the outlet reported.
Rada told cops Flippin was standing at the bus stop waving a chrome handgun around while talking out loud. Multiple people ran away from the area due to her behavior, he allegedly told police.
He then grabbed his rifle and shot at her 10 to 15 times “until the female went down” before driving off and stopping when he saw the police lights behind him, according to the report. Police said they recovered nearly 40 shell casings from the scene.
Authorities disproved Rada’s claims after reviewing footage of the scene. Cameras show the woman being dropped off at the gas station and walking to the bus stop where she was smoking a cigarette and standing with her back turned to the alleged assailant.
She was on her way to her new job. Rada then grabbed his rifle and walked closer to her, investigators stated.
“The defendant starts shooting toward the victim but first strikes a block wall,” a police statement obtained by the outlet read. “The defendant then moves his position towards the street and continues to fire at the victim. The victim falls to the ground and continues to be struck by rounds.”
“There was nothing you could do to save that lady,” a witness told KPNX, an NBC affiliate. “She was clearly deceased.”
Rada is now facing a first-degree murder charge and detained at Maricopa County Jail with a bail set at $2 million.
A statement from the woman’s children obtained by KPNX read: “My siblings and I are in complete disbelief that something so vicious could happen to someone like her.”
“She was minding her own business. She certainly did not deserve this.”
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