A man has been arrested in connection with a road rage shooting that left twin 5-year-old girls injured in central Tucson on Tuesday afternoon.
Dominick Cooke, 36, was arrested on suspicion of multiple felonies and booked into the Pima County jail, according to a Tucson Police Department news release.
Around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, officers were called to the area of North Dodge Boulevard and East Grant Road after the girls were injured during a road rage incident, police said. Cooke allegedly shot at a car that was being driven by the girls’ parents, resulting in one of the children being taken to a local hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.
Police learned the twins were in child seats in the back of their family’s car when a sedan nearly crashed into them. The driver of the sedan that Cooke was a passenger in continued to drive aggressively and erratically as both cars continued eastbound on Grant Road.
A verbal fight then broke out between Cooke and the girls’ father. Cooke brandished a gun during the fight, police said. Fearing for the safety of his family, the father sped away from the suspect’s car.
A single gunshot was heard and the twin daughters began screaming, police said. The father immediately pulled over and called 911.
Detectives from the Gun Crimes Reduction Unit conducted interviews, collected video evidence and got descriptions of both people in the suspect car, the news release said. Within 24 hours, detectives were able to find the car and identify Cooke as the suspect.
Tucson police would not say whether the girls were shot, only that they sustained injuries. Police also would not say what charges Cooke is facing but acknowledged they were weapons related.
The investigation is ongoing. Those with information are asked to call 88-CRIME.
