Man in custody following shooting, carjacking near Fountain Hills

MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. (KSAZ) - A man is in custody after a shooting and carjacking near in the northeast valley on Tuesday night.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety tells FOX 10 that James David Walker has been identified as the man who was sitting in a car on the side of the road along the Beeline Highway near Shea Boulevard and firing an AR-15 rifle at passing cars.

One victim was grazed in the head by a bullet, but that person refused medical treatment and is OK. Somehow, that victim's car also caught fire, but authorities are not sure how it ended up in flames.

"About the time flames started coming up the hood of my car, I realized that's gotta be gunshots. So from there flames are coming out of my car, I'm on the phone with my grandma. I open the door, get out, grab my phone and touch the back of my head and I realized I'd been shot," said Chris Ellis.

A second victim was also shot, but is expected to survive.

After the shootings, deputies say Walker carjacked another victim near Fort McDowell Casino and crashed the car in a ditch. Walker was then spotted by a Mesa police helicopter about a mile away from the stolen vehicle and was taken into custody after K-9's were sent in to get him.

Deputies also say Walker shot at a DPS trooper, however, the trooper was not injured.

Walker is being treated at a nearby hospital for dog bites.

Several agencies are investigating this incident and there are six different crime scenes along an 18-mile stretch of the Beeline Highway.

State Route 87 has reopened in both directions.