Suspect, victim identified in deadly shooting at illegal desert rave party near Superior
SUPERIOR, Ariz. (3TV/CBS 5) - An overnight party in the desert ended with a shooting that left one person dead and another injured Sunday morning. The victim who was killed has since been identified as 35-year-old John Bunyard.
On Saturday night, Pinal County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) officials say about 50 to 100 people were at an unregulated rave party in a desert area west of Superior along US 60 in the area of Uno Trail. Sunday around 9:50 a.m. PCSO deputies were called out to the area after reports of shots fired. One of the 911 calls came from the suspect, who reached out to report what happened. Deputies say that suspect is 29-year-old Daniel Schmitt.
The initial investigation by PCSO detectives determined that Schmitt had allegedly tried to steal a vehicle before shooting at least two people. Bunyard died, and the second victim was taken to a hospital, where they are in stable condition.
Schmitt was booked into jail for first-degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. PCSO says there is no threat to the community, and homicide detectives are handling the investigation.
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