Man sentenced in Mesa shooting case

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - A man found guilty of shooting 6 and killing 1 has been sentenced to life in prison. Ryan Giroux entered a guilty plea and agreed to spend the rest of his life in prison. A judge made it official Friday.

The shooting happened in West Mesa last year. Giroux opened fire and carjacked drivers before a Mesa Police SWAT team took him into custody.

Giroux had entered not guilty pleas to the 23 charges against him, but later changed his mind and admitted to everything.

In the hearing Giroux gave his name and date of birth. He declined to make any statements about his West Mesa crime spree.

"I was there; I witnessed him killing my son. He shot him right in front of me," said Lydia Nielsen.

Giroux then shot a student at a bistro ran by the East Valley Institute of Technology and fled to two apartment complexes before police captured him.

His attorney says Giroux is mentally ill, and the judge acknowledged that may have played a role in the crimes.

"There is certainly a level of mental health history you have that appears to be a factor of what the court has heard leading up to what happened on this day," said the judge.

But the judge said that did not excuse the shooting spree and carjackings, a total of 23 counts in all.

The judge signed off on Giroux's sentence of life behind bars. Giroux has been held in a Maricopa County jail on a $2 million bond.