'Armed and dangerous' Casa Grande shooting suspect in custody: police
CASA GRANDE, Ariz. - Police in Casa Grande say the suspect responsible for a shooting that left a man dead on March 11 has been taken into custody.
The suspect, identified by police as 49-year-old Marcus Hatton, turned himself in to authorities on March 12.
"Hatton will be transported to the Pinal County Adult Detention Center and charges of Murder, Aggravated Assault, Weapons Misconduct, Endangerment, Disorderly Conduct with a Weapon, and Prohibited Possessor will be forwarded to the Pinal County Attorney’s Office for review," police said.
Marcus Hatton (Courtesy: Casa Grande Police Department)
According to an initial statement by Casa Grande Police, the shooting happened in a residential neighborhood southeast of the intersection of Kortsen and Trekell Roads. The shooting was reported at around 7:48 a.m., and when officers arrived, they found the victim, identified as 45-year-old Steve Shinault, with multiple gunshot wounds to the torso.
Shinault and Hatton, according to investigators, knew each other. Neighbors say the two were roommates. Police say the two were "engaged in an altercation outside of a residence" prior to the deadly shooting.
"After being shot, the victim attempted to drive away in his vehicle and crashed into two residential structures a short distance away," read a portion of the statement.
The two homes reportedly suffered structural damage, with one home suffering extensive damage to the inside. The victim died at the scene.
"The truck was inside of my house," said Jennifer Tannert. "The entire kitchen is destroyed, so there is no usable space in our kitchen. It was absolute chaos. Absolute chaos here all morning for several hours. It feels like the big city stuff is creeping its way into the tiny Casa Grande. That stuff just doesn’t happen here."
Residents in the neighborhood were shaken up. It's an area they say is typically very quiet.
"I don't know. I don't understand why anything could be that severe, that you have to take someone's life. You know what I mean?" a neighbor said.
Now, these residents are left with the aftermath.
The owner of a damaged home was too shaken to speak on camera but says it was the first home he has owned and is proud of it. He says it will take months to rebuild, but it does not compare to the man who lost his life in his front yard.
Bond is reportedly set at $500,000 for Hatton.
Family says victim was trying to shield daughter from shooting
On March 12, FOX 10 spoke with Shinault's cousin, Monica Hurley.
Hurley said that Shinault got into an argument with Hatton, who was his neighbor, the night before the shooting. Hurley also said that Shinault was on his way to pick up his daughter and take her to school when the shooting happened.
According to Hurley, the reason Shinault crashed into two homes was because he was trying to protect his daughter.
"[Shinault] turned the way that he did and hit those houses is because he was trying to shield her from getting hit, so yes, he is a victim because he got murdered, but he's also a hero because he saved his daughter," Hurley said. "If not, she would have got hit as well."
Hurley says his daughter was by his side as he took his last breath.
"He was in the ambulance, she was holding his hand. She was also putting pressure on his wounds. He was trying to talk to her, but he couldn't, and he passed away in the ambulance," she said.
Hurley is left with the memory of her cousin, but worries most about his five children and wife.
"Why did this have to happen? Somebody just felt like they needed to be in control and just take his life, and nowadays, people don't want to talk things out. They don't want to do it the right way. Everybody has guns and that's everybody's first go-to," she said. "I just don't want any families to suffer."