Top inset: Michelle Flippin (GoFundMe). Bottom inset: Andrew Rada (Mesa Police Department). Background: The location where Flippin was killed (KPNX).
A man armed with an “AK-47 style rifle” allegedly fired a barrage of bullets at a woman at an Arizona bus stop, killing her before driving off, getting arrested nearby and confessing to police, saying she was armed even though she didn’t have a weapon and the whole thing was caught on camera.
Andrew Rada, 44, faces a first-degree murder charge in the killing of Michelle Flippin, 52, police said.
She was killed around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday at a gas station in Mesa, about 20 miles east of Phoenix, according to a probable cause statement that outlines the allegations.
The Mesa Police Department received multiple 911 calls at 7:37 a.m. about a man firing an “AK-47 style rifle” from the gas station parking lot and a dead woman covered in blood, the document said.
“There was nothing you could do to save the lady. She was clearly deceased,” a witness told local NBC affiliate KPNX.
Police found Flippin unresponsive near a bus stop just south of the gas station, where she was declared dead from multiple gunshot wounds to numerous parts of her body, authorities said.
Rada left the area in a burgundy Dodge Ram truck, authorities said. Police quickly found the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop nearby, where Rada was taken into custody. A passenger in the truck was also detained for an unrelated felony warrant but is not facing charges related to the shooting, police said.
During questioning, the defendant told investigators he was homeless and was parked at the gas pumps, asking for gas donations, the probable cause statement said. He told police he saw the victim standing at the bus stop waving a chrome handgun around while talking out loud, the document said. He said multiple people were running from the victim’s location due to her behavior, the statement said.
He allegedly told investigators he grabbed his rifle and shot at her 10 to 15 times “until the female went down” before driving off and stopping when he noticed police behind him, the document said.
Police said the shooting was captured on video cameras from nearby businesses — and the footage tells a different story.
The cameras showed the victim getting dropped off at the gas station parking lot and walking to a bus stop, where she was seen alone smoking a cigarette and facing away from the defendant, the probable cause statement said. The cameras allegedly show the defendant pulling a rifle from his truck and walking toward the gas station driveway closer to the victim.
“The defendant starts shooting towards the victim but first strikes a block wall,” the statement said. “The defendant then moves his position towards the street and continues to fire at the victim. The victim falls to the ground and continues to be struck by rounds.”
Rada then allegedly walked back to the driver’s side of the truck and drove off after a few minutes.
Police said they recovered about 38 spent shell casings from the scene.
Flippin was not armed, police said.
In a statement, Flippin’s children described her as the foundation of their family.
“Our mom was an amazing woman. She was the most selfless person I knew, always putting others in front of herself. If you needed something, she would find a way to help even if she didn’t have the means to help. She cared so much about other people and wanted nothing but love in this world. Our mom was our rock. Family was everything to her. She would always protect her kids, protect anyone really. She was funny, she had a great sense of humor, and always knew the right thing to say.”
According to Flippin’s children, her life was cut short just as she was about to start a new job.
“My siblings and I are in complete disbelief that something so vicious could happen to someone like her,” the statement continued. “Our rock, our protector, our mother was taken from us. She was on her way to get her new job going when this tragedy happened. She was minding her own business. She certainly did not deserve this. I ask kindly to give my family privacy during this time while we grieve. This is hard on all of us as this is something so sudden. We appreciate the community and all the kind words.”
Rada is being held at the Maricopa County Jail with bail set at $2 million. He’s set to appear in court on Tuesday, online jail records show.
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