Suspect in deadly shooting attack in Tucson dies in hospital

[ad_1]

TUCSON, Arizona (AP) – A convicted felon accused of killing at least one person and injuring four others, including firefighters and paramedics, in a house fire in Tucson last weekend, police said Thursday with.

Leslie Stephen Scarlett, 35, had been in extremely critical condition at a local hospital since being wounded in an exchange of fire with a police officer on Sunday.

Scarlett died of his injuries on Wednesday, police said.

A motive for the attack remains unclear, but police have confirmed that a badly burned body found in the house was Scarlett’s girlfriend.

The body was identified as 36-year-old Jennifer Fells, and an autopsy revealed that she suffered a gunshot trauma, police said Thursday.

“According to investigators, we can confirm that Scarlett and Fells were in a domestic relationship,” said Officer Francisco Magos, a police spokesman. “The investigations are still ongoing.”

Fells lived in the house with their three children, but it is not immediately known whether Scarlett was the biological father of any of the children.

“We have not confirmed that with the family,” said Magos.

Scarlett drove to the house fire and, according to police, fired shots at an ambulance crew ready for another incident.

The ambulance driver, a 20-year-old man, was shot in the head and a paramedic in the passenger seat, a 21-year-old woman, was shot in the chest and arm, police said.

The suspect then opened fire on firefighters and neighbors who tried to put out the flames.

A neighbor – identified as 44-year-old Cory Michael Saunders – was fatally shot, a firefighter was shot in the arm and another bullet grazed the head of another neighbor.

A reacting police officer met the suspect a few blocks away. According to the police, the man rammed his SUV into the officers’ vehicle and opened fire.

The officer was unharmed, returned fire and seriously injured Scarlett.

According to the Arizona Department of Justice, Scarlett had a criminal record that included a 2007 conviction of attempted armed robbery. He was sentenced to six years in prison and released in 2013.

[ad_2]