Man Arrested After Shooting Parent’s House

On October 25, 2021, just after 2:00 a.m., Mesa Police Officers took 22-year-old Ruben Flores III into custody for discharging a firearm into his parent’s home on three separate occasions after being kicked out days prior.

It all started on October 20, 2021, when Flores III was kicked out of his parent’s home after a domestic violence incident in which he damaged property and made threats to kill his father. The next day, just before 9:00 p.m., at least thirteen bullets penetrated the front of the family home.

No one could positively identify the shooter, but numerous people saw a male running away from the scene. Officers later discovered the shooting was captured on a neighbor’s video surveillance camera. 

On October 22, 2021, at nearly 2:00 a.m., officers contacted Flores III as he was getting into an Uber that was parked just west of his parent’s home. Officers photographed Flores III to document his condition and clothing. They also located a shotgun hidden in some nearby bushes that belonged to Flores III’s father.

On October 23, 2021, ten bullets entered the rear of the Flores’ family home around 5:00 p.m. Again, the suspect was caught on neighboring video surveillance. The suspect was seen going into and out of the victim’s backyard. When police reviewed the footage, they noticed the suspect was wearing the same clothing as Flores III was wearing the day prior, when police contacted him by the Uber.    

The next day, three bullets were shot into the rear of the family home. In addition, words were scrawled into the paint of Flores III’s father’s truck, and the tires were flattened. Officers also discovered that the suspect left a shoe imprint on the side of the truck.

Officers contacted Uber and learned that Flores III had used their services before and after the shootings occurred.

When officers took Flores III into custody, he was wearing the same clothing that was captured on surveillance video of the suspect in the second shooting. He also wore shoes that matched the sole imprints on the side of his father’s truck and had a handgun in his possession.

Ruben Flores III was booked into jail for the following charges and held with no bond.

3 counts Discharging a Firearm at a Structure, ARS 13-1211A, a class 2 felony.

1 count Theft of a Firearm, ARS 13-1802A1, a class 6 felony.

1 active MCSO warrant