A man believed to be behind at least four recent murders reportedly killed himself in an Arizona hotel room Monday morning just as police were closing in on him.
Per Fox News, the yet-unidentified man who was found dead at the Extended Stay Hotel in Scottsdale was a prime suspect in four fatal shootings in Scottsdale in Phoenix. CNN noted that all four slayings occurred within a 10-mile radius.
According to KNVX, authorities said tactical teams closed in on the suspect’s room when they heard a succession of gunfire, prompting them to evacuate nearby rooms. At one point, law enforcement reportedly gassed the suspect’s room and used a robot to enter.
It was then that they reportedly found the suspect dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police noted that officers never fired their weapon during Monday’s ordeal.
While officials haven’t revealed the suspect’s identity, law enforcement sources reportedly identified the suspect as Dwight Lamon Jones, 56. The sources told ABC News that Jones had been living at the Extended Stay Hotel for some time and that all four fatal shootings were carried out with the same gun.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, forensic psychiatrist Steven Pitt was killed outside his office Thursday. A witness claimed he heard loud arguing before Pitt was shot, sources told ABC.
Pitt was widely known for investigating the 1996 murder of beauty pageant star JonBenet Ramsey. TMZ noted that Pitt famously theorized that someone close to slain 6-year-old was covering up her murder.
Pitt also worked on the Jodi Arias trial and the “Baseline Killer” serial murder case in the early 2000s, KSAZ reported.
The sources revealed that the witness to Pitt’s murder was the only eyewitness in all four slayings. The witness reportedly described the suspect as a white man wearing a black cap with a short brim.
Police believe the person who killed Pitt went on to shoot and kill three other people—a coach and two paralegals—within the same week. Paralegals Veleria Sharp, 48, and Laura Anderson, 49, were fatally shot Friday outside a Scottsdale law office. Marshall Levine, 72 a hypnotherapist and life coach, was found dead Saturday in his office at a Scottsdale mental health counseling facility, according to CNN.
Seargent Ben Hoster said of the victims, “We don’t know the relationships or the connections.”
This is a developing story. Be sure to check back with CrimeOnline for updates as they become available.
[Featured image: Suspect sketch/Phoenix Police Department; Steven Pitt, Laura Anderson, Veleria Sharp, and Marshall Levine/KSAZ video screengrab]
