An Arizona man is accused of gunning down his wife and her coworker outside a Little Caesars in Tempe this week, before being arrested at the scene, police said.
The shooting happened just after 9 a.m. Monday in front of the pizza joint at a strip mall in the Phoenix suburb.
Benjamin Visser Jr., 27, was arrested at the scene and booked on charges of premeditated murder in the deaths of his 21-year-old wife Mary Visser, and her 32-year-old co-worker Shaquille Simmons, who were found critically wounded. Both victims were rushed to the hospital where they died from their injuries.
Tempe police officers were already in the area investigating an unrelated fatal shooting at Tempe Marketplace when they heard gunfire and rushed over to the restaurant, AZFamily reported. They found Visser standing with a gun in his hand, according to police.
“The gun shoots bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang,” Kennedy Luong, who owns Marvel Nails & Spa next door, told the news outlet. “I see one girl fall down.”
Another witness, who called 911, said they saw the suspect fire more rounds after the victims fell to the ground and tried to get back up.
“You don’t plan to come to work and see everything all roped off like this,” said Tony Olvera, owner of Lady Luck Tattoo Gallery. “It’s really surprising. I just don’t want it to reflect on us, you know. It’s an isolated thing, so you know, it’s not like this area is a bad area in any way.”
Police are still working to determine what led to the killings.
“The Tempe Police Department extends their sympathies to the victims and the employees of Little Caesars during this difficult time,” police said in a statement, praising the “quick and coordinated response” of officers who detained the suspect and “helped bring this dangerous situation to a safe conclusion.”
Authorities said the fatal attack was not connected to a separate fatal shooting at Tempe Marketplace that same morning, where the suspect remains at large. The victim, who was not immediately identified, and his girlfriend were reportedly meeting the suspect for what was described as an online transaction.
Anyone with information can call Tempe police at 480-350-8311.
