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A man is in custody in connection to the deaths of two other men in Surprise.
Surprise police said Chasten Robert Fairris, 23, of El Mirage, was booked into jail Thursday on charges of first-degree murder. He refused to speak with police.
The incident happened around 3:30 a.m. Thursday near Waddell Road and Bullard Avenue, where police responded to a disturbance call.
According to Surprise police Sgt. Tim Klarkowski, two men were found dead at the scene with apparent gunshot wounds. Joseph Matthew Hutchinson, 26, of Surprise, was found on the roadway. Ricardo De La Isla, 26, of El Mirage, was found in a vehicle.
"As far as what exactly transpired that led to this, the details are a vague at that point since only Chasten survived and he elected to not provide us with his side of the story," Mr. Klarkowski stated via email.
Surprise police said while officers were securing the scene where the deceased were located, the department received another call from a resident about two blocks away. The resident said a man, later confirmed to be Mr. Fairris, was banging on the front door. The resident said Mr. Fairris appeared to have a gunshot wound to his arm and had asked the resident to call the fire department, but not the police.
Officers and Surprise Fire-Medical Department personnel responded to the residence and transported Mr. Fairris to a local hospital for treatment.
During the investigation, detectives confirmed Mr. Fairris had been in the area where Mr. De La Isla and Mr. Hutchinson were located around the time the incident occurred. Police also interviewed individuals who were at a home with Mr. Fairris and Mr. Hutchinson before the incident occurred.
Police talked to the girlfriends of Mr. Fairris and Mr. Hutchinson, and learned the two men had allegedly planned to call Mr. De La Isla, invite him to the home, draw him away from there, and then rob him of his weapon and vehicle, court documents state.
Police said Mr. De La Isla was found with a gun in his hand, and a second gun was found under a bush near Mr. Hutchinson.
Mr. Fairris is in jail in lieu of a $250,000 cash-only bond.
Anyone who may have seen anything or has information on the case can call police at 623-222-8477 or email crimetips@surpriseaz.gov.
Surprise police also urge anyone in the area with outdoor security cameras to review their footage and provide anything that may help with the investigation.
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