MESA, AZ — Police have arrested a man accused of shooting a woman multiple times leaving her dead at a bus stop in Mesa near Center Street and McKellips Road.
Just before 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Mesa police responded to the area for calls of a man shooting a rifle from a nearby gas station toward the bus stop.
When police arrived, the suspect had just taken off in a truck toward nearby Loop 202. Officers quickly stopped the vehicle as it was getting onto the freeway, and two men inside surrendered.
Police detained both men and eventually arrested the alleged shooter, identified as 44-year-old Andrew Rada. It's unclear if the second man in the truck played a role in the shooting.
The woman, identified as 52-year-old Michelle Flippin died at the scene.
According to court paperwork, Rada told detectives he was at the gas pump when he saw the woman wave a handgun and people running away from her direction. He claims that's when he pulled out his AK-47-style gun and fired at her 10-15 times as she went down.
When police reviewed surveillance video, they saw the woman get dropped off at the same gas station Rada was parked at and walk to the bus stop. Documents state she was the only person at the bus stop and was smoking a cigarette when the shots were fired in her direction.
There were approximately 38 shell casings recovered from the scene, according to court documents.
"It not only shocks our community, our community members, but you know, members of our department as well," said Det. Richard Encinas.
Flippin was a Valley mom and her kids shared photos with ABC15 and said she was on her way to a new job.
Police say that Flippin did not have a weapon.
Rada has been booked into jail for charges of first-degree murder.
An online fundraiser has been started to support Flippin's family.
The children of Flippin provided the following statement to ABC15 regarding their mother's death:
“Our mom was an amazing woman. She was the most selfless person I knew, always putting others in front of herself. If you needed something, she would find a way to help even if she didn’t have the means to help. She cared so much about other people and wanted nothing but love in this world. Our mom was our rock. Family was everything to her. She would always protect her kids, protect anyone really. She was funny, she had a great sense of humor, and always knew the right thing to say. My siblings and I are in complete disbelief that something so vicious could happen to someone like her. Our rock, our protector, our mother was taken from us. She was on her way to get her new job going when this tragedy happened. She was minding her own business. She certainly did not deserve this. I ask kindly to give my family privacy during this time while we grieve. This is hard on all of us as this is something so sudden. We appreciate the community and all the kind words.”
