A man stands accused of firing his semiautomatic weapon at a UPS driver and threatening passers-by in Tempe.
Police received several calls about 5:13 p.m. Tuesday and spotted a man who matched the description of a person who had been shooting at passing vehicles on Kyrene Road between Baseline and Guadalupe roads.
The man was seen by officers holding a handgun and running east across Kyrene and then south along a business parking lot, according to court documents.
Officers conducted a “high-risk contact,” and he dropped the gun — a .45-caliber semiautomatic — in the middle of the lot before walking about 15 feet away from the weapon, court documents said. The man “partially complied” with officers' orders to lie down, court documents said.
Charging documents said the man ignored officers' orders as they tried to take him into custody. The man, who was on the ground, started to grunt, growl, yelled, “westside” and cursed at the officers as they approached him before they used a stun gun on him because he clenched his fist, court documents detail. Officers then handcuffed the man.
Travis Halsall, 43, of Tempe was taken into custody.
Halsall’s right thigh had what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot. He was taken to a hospital, while the semiautomatic dropped in the parking lot was found empty, according to court documents.
Halsall was held on suspicion of multiple felonies:
- One count of discharging a firearm at a residential structure.
- One count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
- Two counts of endangerment.
- Three counts of disorderly conduct, reckless display.
- One count of unlawful discharge of a firearm.
Officers obtain cellphone, camera, forensic evidence
Near Cornell Drive and Kyrene Road, officers found five .45-caliber cartridge casings, court documents said.
Officers also obtained cellphone and security camera footage. At about 4:53 p.m., gunshots were heard on a Ring camera near the street where the shooting unfolded, court documents said. Court documents note that shortly before the shooting calls came in, no one was seen walking on this street except for a man who appeared to be Halsall, who was holding a handgun, limping, growling, grunting and yelling.
A UPS driver halted at a stop sign on a street that intersected with Kyrene saw a man pointing his gun at him before firing, according to charging documents.
The driver, fearing for his life, reversed his truck to leave, though he was uninjured and no bullets appeared to hit the vehicle, court documents said. Security cameras captured the UPS truck stopping and the sound of gunfire, the documents added.
The gunman waved his weapon around and yelled at another individual when he was approached to see if he was OK as he lay on the ground, court documents said.
Another person saw the same man limping across Kyrene Road, another recorded him lying in the roadway and taking cover as he fired his gun, and another saw the man shooting, charging documents said.
A welfare check was conducted at Halsall’s nearby home and detectives found multiple casings and bullet strikes inside, court documents said. A search there recovered .45-caliber cartridge casings consistent with those found near the shooting, as well as multiple .45-caliber firearms, court documents said.
A shot fired inside the home was found to have perforated a wall and entered a neighbor’s home, according to charging documents.
Halsall underwent surgery on his right leg, court documents said. By Wednesday, Halsall was removed from intubation and told detectives he had feared for his life and was protecting himself, according to court documents.
He refused to talk further without a lawyer, court documents said.
Halsall was discharged from the hospital Thursday and taken to face a judge on his charges, court documents said. A $650,000 bond was set. It was unclear Friday whether Halsall remained in custody.
Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry records show Halsall was previously incarcerated for aggravated assault and attempted theft of a means of transportation.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Shots fired at UPS driver, passers-by in Tempe neighborhood, police say
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