Bail set at $2M for Ariz. school shooting suspect
Mar 2, 2012, 11:22 PM
WILLCOX, Ariz. (AP) – Bail was set Friday at $2 million for a man accused of firing a rifle at a southeastern Arizona high school, injuring a 17-year-old boy who was watching a baseball game.
The student suffered minor cuts from flying glass when the car he was in was shot at Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
Arthur J. Tineo, 40, was arrested shortly after the shooting at Willcox High School, and the weapon he is accused of using was recovered about a block south of the scene, according to the Willcox Department of Public Safety.
A spokeswoman for the Cochise County sheriff’s office said Tineo made a video appearance Friday morning before a judge who set the cash bail amount.
Willcox DPS Chief Jake Weaver said Friday that investigators haven’t been able to get any explanation of the shooting from Tineo.
“He (Tineo) was uncooperative,” Weaver said. “He did not provide us any motive.”
Authorities believe Tineo fired three rounds in the small high-desert town about 200 miles southeast of Phoenix. It happened shortly after 3 p.m., after classes were done for the day.
The wounded teen was recovering. “The student’s doing fine,” Weaver said.
Another juvenile who was in the same car escaped injury, and authorities said a school employee was fired upon as he was trying to clear the area during the shooting. No other injuries were reported among the spectators watching a varsity baseball game between Willcox High and Valley Union High.
Weaver said Tineo, of Willcox, was booked into Cochise County Jail on suspicion of three counts of attempted murder, plus charges of assault, endangerment, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, prohibited possession of a firearm, disorderly conduct with a weapon, and discharging a weapon within city limits.
Weaver said Thursday that it appeared Tineo was firing indiscriminately.
It was unclear whether the man had a lawyer yet.
Weaver said Tineo “does have a record” but he couldn’t immediately provide details about his prior offenses.
Willcox DPS responded after receiving a 911 call about a man in a field across from the school’s baseball field, shooting a rifle toward the campus grounds. The area was locked down for several hours until authorities “felt comfortable” that only one suspect was involved and that person was in custody, Weaver said.
About 500 students from the Willcox area attend the high school. The city has a population of about 3,800 and still has the feel of the Old West with its antique shops and museums.
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