Police identify 2 men randomly gunned down at Glendale bus stop; suspect arrested
GLENDALE, Ariz. (3TV/CBS 5) — New details paint the moments before two men were randomly shot to death at a Glendale bus stop Monday afternoon.
Court documents obtained by Arizona’s Family early Tuesday say that 911 dispatchers first got a report that two people had been shot at the bus stop near 51st and Northern avenues on Monday around 2:35 p.m. Multiple witnesses told officers they had seen the suspect, later identified as 26-year-old Dominic Celaya, running away.
“I can’t stress enough how heinous of an act this is. These two individuals were simply sitting at a bus stop when Mr. Ceyala approached them firing multiple rounds. We are quite thankful that the situation wasn’t much worse,” said Glendale Police public information officer Jose Santiago.
Authorities arrived to find Richard Hodakievic and 24-year-old Jaquey James seriously injured. Hodakievic had a gunshot wound to the left side of his head and arm, while James was shot in his left arm and torso. Court paperwork says they both died within an hour of being shot. At the crime scene, Glendale police officers established a perimeter as one officer saw Celaya jumping a fence and running into a nearby neighborhood. Detectives also recovered shell casings from a nearby QuikTrip convenience store.
Celaya’s girlfriend then identified herself to officers and said that she was trying to leave the area when they got into an argument about an order of protection she had against him. At that point, she said, it turned physical. Moments later, Celaya got out of the car, fired in the middle of the street and then shot the two men, who were not involved in any way.
Celaya was later found hiding in a pile of compost in the backyard of a nearby home and was taken into custody after being bit by a police K-9. During his arrest, officers found a handgun on him.
Celaya has been booked into the Maricopa County jail on 2 counts of first-degree murder and firing a gun in a city. His bail is set at $1 million.
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