By Doha Madani - NBC News
Arizona police have a suspect in custody after one person died and 13 others were injured Thursday in a series of drive-by shootings.
Authorities responded to reports of an active shooter in West Valley, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Phoenix, around 12:30 p.m. (local time), the Surprise Police Department tweeted.
Police said there were
eight shootings over an hour and a half
and they believe the first of them occurred around 11:10 am between the towns of Glendale and Peoria.
The suspect in the attack continued to fire in the area until he was detained around 12:42 p.m.
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At least four of the victims were shot and others were injured by shrapnel (shell fragments) or car accidents resulting from the attack, said Brandon Sheffert, a Peoria town sergeant.
The 13 injured are expected to survive, as the injuries are not life-threatening.
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"We don't know what the connection is, we don't know what the reason was, we have no idea what this person was thinking when they came out and did this," Sheffert said.
"Obviously we want to solve it because there are a lot of scared people," he added.
Peoria police are leading the investigation, although the shootings occurred in multiple jurisdictions.
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The suspect, an unidentified adult male, was safely detained by Surprise police officers.
The man did not try to shoot the officers when they stopped his car
"What I can tell you is that the suspect and the vehicle we are investigating have been detained and there is no reason for the public to feel unsafe at this time," said Sgt. Tommy Hale.
