Detectives Searched For Manifesto To Explain Shooting Rampage By Former Soldier

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Bruce Alvin Hansberry Jr. [Photo courtesy Cochise County Sheriff's Office]

The actions of a former soldier accused of a deadly shooting rampage last fall at a Cochise County business left detectives searching for a manifesto to help explain why he undertook the attack, which terrorized several adults and two young children.

Bruce Alvin Hansberry Jr. has been held in the Cochise County since Nov. 14, 2022, after a 911 caller reported a masked gunman wearing a tactical vest opened fire with a rifle at Desert RV Sales in the rural unincorporated community of Whetstone. His next court date will be this summer with a trial not likely until 2024.

Hansberry, 37, was indicted last November for one count of first-degree murder, nine counts of attempted murder, and various other felonies. Among the listed victims of the attempted murder charge is a three-year-old.

More than four months later, the prosecution is moving slow in part because of the amount of forensic testing involved, including ballistics, blood, DNA, and computer data.

There is also a question about the mental competency of Hansberry at the time of the shooting, as well as his ability to currently understand the charges and to assist in his defense.

Another key question is why Hansberry, a disabled U.S. Army infantryman, targeted Desert RV located along State Route 90 between Sierra Vista and Benson.

Court record show deputies with the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) were dispatched around 5:15 p.m. to the shots fired call with critical injuries. Witnesses told investigators Hansberry had been at the business earlier in the day with an infant, and had left without any reported problems after talking with Desert RV owner Jeff Rose and at least one other employee.

Upon his return hours later, a masked Hansberry reportedly yelled “Where is she?” several times as he moved through the building, firing an AR-15 and trying to open

each office door. He continued his rampage until Rose opened fire in return and Hansberry fled the area in a sedan registered in his name.

Employee Jordan Barajas suffered multiple critical injuries from being shot twice. The first shot struck Barajas, 18, in the back. Hansberry then stood over the wounded teen and shot him in the face.

Barajas was airlifted to Banner University Medical Center in Tucson for treatment. He was released a few weeks later to continue his recovery from home.

His co-worker, Robert Lizarraga, witnessed Barajas being shot and drove his truck at Hansberry in an effort to stop the attack. Hansberry fired seven rounds at the truck, one of which fatally struck Lizarraga, 47, in the chest. Lizarraga was also Barajas’ uncle.

At least one other employee was directly shot at by Hansberry, while many others in the building could have been struck as bullets flied. In addition to the three-year-old, another child under the age of 12was also present, according to the grand jury indictment.

Nearly 100 public safety personnel from a dozen agencies responded to the scene, many involved in the manhunt for Hansberry while others ensured the safety of residents in several nearby homes who were under a shelter in place order

They also set up a perimeter to prevent Hansberry from backtracking to take refuge in one of the trailers on the property. SR90 was shut down for several hours to prevent Hansberry from carjacking a vehicle or hitchhiking out of the area.

In the meantime, Hansberry used this time to walk a few miles in the desert before being arrested shortly before 10 p.m. near State Route 82.

Two search warrants were approved by a judge while Hansberry was still on the loose. One allowed for seizure of any evidence at the crime scene, which included a mask and AR-15 rifle found inside Hansberry’s abandoned vehicle not far from Desert RV.

Another search warrant was secured to allow for a sample of Hansberry’s blood to be drawn as soon as he was captured. The blood evidence was needed, Det. Joseph Spezzano noted in his application to the judge, because the use of alcohol or drugs may have played a part in the shooting.

The deadly incident took another sinister twist after Hansberry was taken into custody. According to court records, Hansberry asked during his post-Miranda interview whether any law enforcement officers were injured.

“Hansberry also asked for the severity of casualties and the number of casualties, which is a typical breakdown for a military After Action Report,” CCSO Det. Alexander Dolhyj noted in an affidavit for another search warrant.

When Hansberry was asked about being at Desert RV earlier in the day with a baby, he told investigators his infant daughter was home alone in a Sierra Vista apartment.

An emergency entrance into the apartment led to the girl being transported to a hospital for a “cold weather injury” caused by the heat being turned off in the apartment. She also needed treatment for other issues related to being left unattended for several hours, Dolhyj added.

It was during the rescue of the baby in Hansberry’s apartment that a CCSO sergeant noticed a computer running with satellite mapping software visible. This led to another search warrant for the seizure of any electronic devices in apartment as well as any “documents or written plans” which might be connected with the attack at Desert RV.

Three items were removed from the apartment: a laptop, a smartphone, and a gaming PC. Then on Jan. 5, Dolhyj was granted another search warrant allowing investigators to actually access the data on those devices.

“The purpose of this warrant is to locate any manifesto or deliberate plan to execute this random act of mass violence,” Dolhyj explained to the judge.

Whatever evidence Dolhyj extracted from the devices has not been specified in the court file. However, there is nothing filed in the case since early January which might hint at whether any motive has been determined.

Hansberry remained in pretrial custody on a no-bond order.