Man allegedly shot at passing vehicles in Tempe

TEMPE, AZ (AZFamily) – A man is in custody after firing several shots at passing vehicles earlier this week, according to Tempe police.

43-year-old Travis Halsall is in prison on several charges.

On Tuesday around 5:15 p.m., several people called 911 to report that a man was lying on the ground and shooting at passing vehicles near Kyrene Road and Cornell Drive.

Officers quickly arrived and spotted a man matching the suspect's description running east through Kyrene toward business parking lots. Police say the man had a handgun in his hand.

Police confronted the man, who reportedly dropped the gun and walked away. While officers told him to get on the ground, Halsall reportedly “grunted, growled and cursed at them.”

According to court documents, he yelled “Westside,” told officers to shoot him, then clenched his fists. An officer used a Taser to subdue him, and he was taken into custody.

Halsall was taken to the hospital for treatment of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the leg. An empty .45 pistol was found in the parking lot.

Witnesses led officers to the location where the shots were fired, and investigators recovered five .45-caliber shell casings. The suspect was also captured on numerous surveillance cameras in the area, including one showing him walking down the sidewalk “limping, growling, grunting and screaming.”

A UPS driver told police he was stopped at a stop sign when he noticed the suspect coming toward him. The driver reportedly said the man then pointed the gun at him and fired.

The driver put the car in reverse and left the area. He was not injured.

Several other drivers and residents reported that the man fired shots at vehicles. No injuries were reported among bystanders.

Police learned that Halsall lived nearby. According to court documents, police found additional shell casings in the house and damage to the walls that indicated bullet holes had been struck.

Officers also found that one of the shots fired from the house had penetrated the wall and hit a neighboring study. Additional firearms were also seized.

Halsall underwent surgery on his leg and was released from the hospital on Thursday. When questioned about the incident, according to the documents, Halsall told investigators he “feared for his life and was protecting himself,” then asked for an attorney.

He was charged with several crimes, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, endangerment, discharging a firearm into a dwelling, discharging a firearm within city limits and disorderly conduct with a weapon.

Documents show that Halsall has previously been arrested for other crimes, including kidnapping, sexual abuse, sexual intercourse with a minor, driving under the influence and theft.

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