Police Arrest Two Suspects in Arizona's Serial Shooter Case

More than 200 Phoenix police officers worked around the clock investigating more than 6,000 tips from residents who called in with information.

Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris talks to reporters after the announcement Photo courtesy: Phoenix Police

(PHOENIX, Ariz.) - Phoenix and city officials announced Friday morning the arrest of two men in connection with a series of shootings and killings dating back to May 2005.

Officers arrested Dale Hausner and Samuel Dieteman at an apartment complex in Mesa, Arizona, 15 miles east of Phoenix, late on Thursday following a tip, Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris told a news conference.

Authorities have said the so-called "Serial Shooter" is believed to be responsible for killing six people and wounding 17 others - mostly pedestrians and cyclists - since May 2005. The shooter also killed dogs and horses, and usually struck late at night.

"These are two of the monsters we've been hunting," said Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, who addressed the media this morning at a press conference at Phoenix City Hall.

"I thank the Phoenix Police Department for all of their dogged and relentless pursuit of these criminals, and whose tireless work continues.

I'm so grateful to all of our officers and their families.

"Gordon especially praised the investigative and collaborative work of a special crime task force that consisted of law enforcement officials from Phoenix, Tolleson, Mesa and Scottsdale police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.

"Over the course of the year, investigators cast a wide net over a vast array of shooting cases that included homicides, aggravated assaults and animals as victims," said Police Chief Jack Harris.

"The community in which we live has responded positively to this crisis with thousands of calls to Silent Witness."