Avondale shooting spree suspect told police he was Jesus Christ
Nov 23, 2022, 1:23 PM | Updated: 1:25 pm
Raymond Pipkin (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Photo)
(Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Photo)
PHOENIX – The suspect in the deadly shooting spree that terrorized Avondale over the weekend identified himself as Jesus Christ when he was being booked into jail, according to court documents.
Raymond Pipkin, 29, of Goodyear, was arrested after allegedly killing one person and causing injuries to multiple victims during a violent rampage Saturday afternoon in the area of Interstate 10 and Avondale Road.
While he was being taken to jail and booked, Pipkin “made statements to the effect of ‘I’ve killed people today,’ ‘We’re all going to hell’ and ‘Jesus is coming,’” according to the probable cause statement for his arrest.
The document also says, “While being booked into the Avondale detention facility, Raymond identified himself as Jesus Christ.”
Pipkin was booked on 21 counts, including one count of first-degree murder and eight counts of drive-by shooting. He was being held on a $2 million bond.
After being read his rights, he admitted shooting at two cars, including one driven by the man who was killed, 34-year-old Gabriel Sotello of Glendale, according to the probable cause statement.
“Raymond stated he had a 9mm handgun and even though he blacked out he believes he fired more rounds because his clip and gun was empty and he did not reload his gun. … Raymond stated he knows he confessed to these crimes,” the document says.
Two gunshot victims were recovering from their injuries: a 14-year-old boy who was in the car with the man who was killed, and a man whom Pipkin allegedly shot in the face after asking him if he was ready to die.
Multiple people were hurt in collisions related to the shootings, including a motorcyclist who was hit by Pipkin’s vehicle. The motorcyclist was in stable condition, police said Wednesday.
