The number of vehicles struck during a shooting spree along a highway in the Phoenix outskirts has risen to seven
The Arizona Department of Public Safety had said that six vehicles were hit in the Tuesday night shooting spree, but investigators said in a court document released Thursday that additional information revealed that a bullet hit a tire of a seventh vehicle.
Related: James Walker convicted of murder in 1997
The vehicles hit by bullets included a state trooper's patrol vehicle and a man's car which caught fire and burned. That man suffered grazing wounds when he was struck by bullet fragments on the head and shoulder. Another motorist was shot in the lower leg.
Also, according to the document, officers found two rifles and a handgun in the desert area along State Route 87 where an ex-convict was arrested in the case early Wednesday morning. Police previously reported finding one rifle at the scene.
The ex-convict, 36-year-old James David Walker of San Tan Valley, refused to speak with investigators and a possible motive wasn't known, DPS spokesman Bart Graves said Thursday. "He's not cooperating."
Walker, who previously served a prison term on a second-degree murder conviction, was arrested in the current case on suspicion of numerous crimes, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, criminal damage, drive-by shooting and possession of a weapon by a prohibited possessor.
Walker didn't have an attorney who could comment on the allegations when he made a brief court appearance late Wednesday night, and he only spoke to give his name and date of birth. A judge ordered him held without bond.
Graves declined comment when asked whether there was any indication of a connection between the shooting spree and a series of 2015 Phoenix freeway shootings but said the investigation would be lengthy.
"We're just ferreting this all out," he said. "It's going to be a long process."
The 2015 freeway shootings are unsolved. A man was arrested in that case, but charges against have been dropped.
Related: James Walker convicted of murder in 1997
