PHOENIX — A man is dead and another is in custody after a shooting in Phoenix on Valentine's Day, the city's police department said.
The suspect, 38-year-old Robert Fairbanks, shot the victim, 31-year-old Ricardo Garcia Rodriguez, near a laundromat near the intersection of Van Buren Street & 35th Avenue, the department said. Fairbanks reportedly shot the victim after Rodriguez threw a water bottle at him as Fairbanks talked to Rodriguez's girlfriend, identified as Antoinette Moreno.
Fairbanks and Moreno were reportedly speaking repeatedly over text about their blossoming relationship, officers said. Fairbanks shot Rodriguez over the heads of Moreno and her two-year-old son.
The suspect reportedly left the scene before police arrived, officers said. Investigators used facial recognition to identify Fairbanks from security camera footage.
Fairbanks told police after he was detained that he ran into Moreno at the location and blacked out after Rodriguez threw a water bottle at him, the department said. He said that he regained consciousness once he was across the street and told police the handgun on him was the handgun used in the shooting.
This is a developing story. Tune in to 12 News for the latest information.
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