Police name suspect in fatal shooting at casino
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Detective Robert Hawkes of the Gila River Police Department names the prime suspect of the Christmas Eve murder at the Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino. John Albert Campos Sr. is still at large. David Wallace/The Republic
John Albert Campos is suspected of killing retired Bakersfield, Calif., police Officer Frank Pascua on Dec. 24, 2015.(Photo: Arizona Department of Corrections)
Gila River Indian Community police have named a suspect in the fatal shooting at Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino on Christmas Eve.
Police on Saturday morning identified John Albert Campos Sr., 47, as the suspect.
He is considered armed and dangerous, and officials are asking anybody with information on his whereabouts to call 911.
Police also said Campos is related to a person of interest who was questioned Friday but cleared after numerous tips came in from the public.
Police say Campos shot retired Bakersfield, Calif., police Officer Frank Pascua, carjacked a witness and fled Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino at about 9 p.m. Thursday.
"Our victim was trying to do what he's been trained to do his entire life, which is stopping a crime and a dangerous person on the street," said Gila River Detective Robert Hawkes.
Detective Robert Hawkes holds a picture of suspect John Albert Campos Sr. during a press conference in Chandler on Dec. 26, 2015, discussing the fatal shooting at the Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino on the Gila River Indian Reservation. The homicide took place on Christmas Eve. (Photo: David Wallace/The Republic)
The shooting occurred in the parking lot close to the entrance of the busy casino, Hawkes said. Campos is also suspected of stealing a vehicle belonging to a person who had stopped to help after the shooting, police said.
Authorities said Campos drove off in that vehicle, described as a green Kia Soul. He remains at large, while the police and other agencies look for him.
According to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Campos was convicted in 2005 of numerous violent crimes, including armed robbery and kidnapping, for which he was released from prison in 2014.
A surveillance photo shows a man police accuse of fatally shooting a retired California police officer on Dec. 24, 2015, outside Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino on the Gila River Reservation. (Photo: Gila River Indian Community Police Department)
Photos released by police show a man with short cropped dark hair and numerous tattoos around his neck and upper torso. Campos was initially mistaken for his son-in-law due to their similar appearance and tattoos, Hawkes said.
Officials said the shooting was "the only incident of its kind" to ever occur on any of the community's three casinos. Police called it a "random act of violence."
Pascua, 52, retired in 2003 after a 6½-year career with the Bakersfield police, said that department's Lt. Allan Abney. Pascua worked in the department's traffic division until his career was cut short by a traffic accident, he added. Hawkes said Pascua had a winter home in the Valley.
Detective Vanessa Turner is asking anyone with information to contact her at at 520-610-9000 or Hawkes at 520-610-2791.
Gila River Indian Community police are asking for the public's help to find the suspect in the fatal shooting of a retired police officer outside of Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino on Dec. 24, 2015. (Photo: Nick Oza/The Republic)
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Police name suspect in fatal shooting at casino
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Detective Robert Hawkes of the Gila River Police Department names the prime suspect of the Christmas Eve murder at the Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino. John Albert Campos Sr. is still at large. David Wallace/The Republic
John Albert Campos is suspected of killing retired Bakersfield, Calif., police Officer Frank Pascua on Dec. 24, 2015.(Photo: Arizona Department of Corrections)
Gila River Indian Community police have named a suspect in the fatal shooting at Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino on Christmas Eve.
Police on Saturday morning identified John Albert Campos Sr., 47, as the suspect.
He is considered armed and dangerous, and officials are asking anybody with information on his whereabouts to call 911.
Police also said Campos is related to a person of interest who was questioned Friday but cleared after numerous tips came in from the public.
Police say Campos shot retired Bakersfield, Calif., police Officer Frank Pascua, carjacked a witness and fled Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino at about 9 p.m. Thursday.
"Our victim was trying to do what he's been trained to do his entire life, which is stopping a crime and a dangerous person on the street," said Gila River Detective Robert Hawkes.
Detective Robert Hawkes holds a picture of suspect John Albert Campos Sr. during a press conference in Chandler on Dec. 26, 2015, discussing the fatal shooting at the Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino on the Gila River Indian Reservation. The homicide took place on Christmas Eve. (Photo: David Wallace/The Republic)
The shooting occurred in the parking lot close to the entrance of the busy casino, Hawkes said. Campos is also suspected of stealing a vehicle belonging to a person who had stopped to help after the shooting, police said.
Authorities said Campos drove off in that vehicle, described as a green Kia Soul. He remains at large, while the police and other agencies look for him.
According to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Campos was convicted in 2005 of numerous violent crimes, including armed robbery and kidnapping, for which he was released from prison in 2014.
A surveillance photo shows a man police accuse of fatally shooting a retired California police officer on Dec. 24, 2015, outside Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino on the Gila River Reservation. (Photo: Gila River Indian Community Police Department)
Photos released by police show a man with short cropped dark hair and numerous tattoos around his neck and upper torso. Campos was initially mistaken for his son-in-law due to their similar appearance and tattoos, Hawkes said.
Officials said the shooting was "the only incident of its kind" to ever occur on any of the community's three casinos. Police called it a "random act of violence."
Pascua, 52, retired in 2003 after a 6½-year career with the Bakersfield police, said that department's Lt. Allan Abney. Pascua worked in the department's traffic division until his career was cut short by a traffic accident, he added. Hawkes said Pascua had a winter home in the Valley.
Detective Vanessa Turner is asking anyone with information to contact her at at 520-610-9000 or Hawkes at 520-610-2791.
Gila River Indian Community police are asking for the public's help to find the suspect in the fatal shooting of a retired police officer outside of Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino on Dec. 24, 2015. (Photo: Nick Oza/The Republic)
Read or Share this story: http://azc.cc/1OsbdW6
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