Teen accused of murder, abandoning body after shooting at Mesa trailer park

MESA, Ariz. - A teenager is accused of multiple charges after a shooting at a trailer park in Mesa left one person dead.

The shooting happened at 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 18 near McKellips Road and Center Street.

Officers responded to the scene after witnesses reported seeing a male shooting at a person who was in the driver's seat of a green truck. After the shooting, Mesa Police say the suspect fled the scene with a rifle but returned moments later and took the truck, with the victim still inside.

The truck was later found abandoned near Val Vista Drive and McDowell Road, where the victim was found shot to death in the passenger's seat. The victim was not identified.

"Evidence, including a rifle believed to be the murder weapon, was recovered during a neighborhood canvass," police said.

Investigators say the suspect was identified as a 16-year-old boy. He was arrested on Dec. 27 at an apartment complex.

"During an interview with detectives, he admitted to being present at the scene and holding the weapon that killed the victim," police said.

The unidentified suspect was booked into jail and is accused of first-degree murder, abandonment of a dead body, armed robbery and tampering with evidence.