Road rage suspect arrested in fatal shooting of Arizona girl

PHOENIX (AP) — A man suspected of fatally shooting a 10-year-old girl in her family’s driveway in a road rage case has been arrested, Phoenix police said Friday.

Joshua Gonzalez has an “extended criminal history” involving violent crime, said Police Chief Jeri Williams, who declined to disclose details.

Gonzalez, 20, was arrested about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the home of Summerbell Brown. Police say the girl was gunned down as she sat in her parents’ car while her father confronted the suspect after he tailed the family’s car following a traffic dispute. Her father, Dharquintium, also was wounded; the bullets missed the girl’s mother and sister.

Police have said the events leading up to the killing started after the suspect believed the family’s car had cut him off in traffic Wednesday afternoon.

After the killing, authorities made surveillance video public showing the suspect driving a white pickup truck while following the family’s vehicle.

Police found the pickup truck Thursday with its wheels changed and obtained a search warrant that led to the discovery of a handgun in a garage. Forensic evidence linked the gun to Summerbell’s killing, police spokesman Vincent Lewis said.

In a brief telephone interview Thursday, Dharquintium Brown called his daughter’s death “heinous” and declined further comment.

Williams credited tips from the public with helping investigators.

“Our investigators were able to really close this case because the community members stepped up,” she said.

Gonzalez was scheduled to make an initial court appearance Friday afternoon. It was not immediately clear whether he had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.