Tempe barricade situation ends when Gilbert homicide suspect kills himself
Jul 8, 2019, 1:16 PM | Updated: Jul 10, 2019, 9:01 pm
PHOENIX – The suspect in a Gilbert homicide who fatally shot himself after an hourslong barricade situation in Tempe on Monday has been identified, authorities said.
Alfredo Armando Prieto, Jr., 26, of Tempe was wanted in connection with a homicide that occurred Friday night not far from Gilbert’s popular downtown dining and entertainment district.
“He could have given himself up to the police department but elected to take his own life rather than surrendering to officers,” Gilbert Police Sgt. Mark Marino told KTAR News 92.3 FM.
Marino said detectives conducting surveillance at the Motel 6 near Priest Drive and Broadway Road intended to arrest Prieto in the morning.
“Unfortunately the suspect was able to get to his vehicle and essentially barricaded himself inside his car with a handgun,” he said.
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After several hours of negotiations, Prieto stopped responding at around 1:40 p.m., and officers deployed gas into the car.
“As gas was introduced to into the vehicle, simultaneous to that officers heard a gunshot within the vehicle,” Marino said.
Prieto was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
No officers were injured or fired their weapons during the incident.
Gilbert PD Update: A single gunshot was heard from the car following gas deployment after the suspect ceased negotiations. The suspect was transported with a gunshot wound. No officers were injured in this incident and no officers fired weapons. @tempepolice
— Gilbert Police Dept. (@GilbertPolice) July 8, 2019
Prieto came into contact with the victim, 55-year-old Jesus Granillo-Garcia, in a neighborhood near Cooper Road between Guadalupe and Elliot roads around 7:30 p.m., police said.
Granillo-Garcia was found with a gunshot wound in his car near Gilbert and Elliot roads, and he died from his injuries in a hospital.
UPDATE 5:00 pm: Gilbert Police Update: The suspect was pronounced dead at the hospital. The name of the suspect and…
Posted by Gilbert Police Department on Monday, July 8, 2019
Gilbert police revealed information about the crime on social media Saturday, including a sketch of Prieto, who was said to have distinctive tattoos on his face.
“Between public and investigative techniques we were able to identify a possible suspect,” Marino said.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Nailea Leon contributed to this report.
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