Jessica Shukers dies in fatal Phoenix shooting

Jessica Shukers dies in fatal Phoenix shooting

Fatal Phoenix shooting death of Jessica Shukers

Authorities in Phoenix have identified Jessica Shukers, 39, as the woman shot and killed outside the Desert Ridge Marketplace in what police allege was a premeditated act by her ex-husband.

The incident took place on Wednesday when police were called to a report of gunfire in the shopping center’s parking area. Upon arrival, officers discovered Shukers with multiple gunshot wounds. She was declared dead at the scene. Two firearms, a shotgun and a revolver, were found close to her body.

The suspect, 38-year-old Justin Alan Creed, was apprehended nearby. Witnesses described him as shirtless and only in his underwear when he surrendered to police. He reportedly told officers he had undressed so they would know he posed no further threat and expressed remorse for the trauma caused.

Eyewitnesses recounted seeing a bald man standing beside a pickup truck moments before the shooting. After firing at Shukers and knocking her to the ground, he allegedly continued to shoot her.

Creed declined to discuss specifics with detectives but did confirm that the woman he shot was his former wife and the mother of one of his children. He reportedly claimed his actions stemmed from past abuse and infidelity, according to court filings.

Further investigation revealed that months prior, Creed had told one of Shukers’ children that he wouldn’t be returning home and expected to end up in jail. Family members also described a pattern of increasingly erratic and concerning behavior they believed might be linked to a mental health condition.

Creed has been charged with first-degree murder and remains in custody at Maricopa County jail under a $1 million bond.