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In another deadly shooting spree, this time in Mesa, Arizona, one person is dead and five others have been wounded in multiple locations. After an extensive manhunt, a man with purported ties to white nationalist groups was arrested by law enforcement. After being hit with a stun gun, he was taken away from the scene in a white biological hazard suit.

The Arizona Republic reported that anonymous police sources identified Ryan Eliot Giroux, 41, as the suspect in the shooting.

Giroux has multiple face and neck tattoos, including eyebrow ink that reads "Skin Head" and an "88" on his left temple. The number is a code used for the Nazi salute "heil Hitler." Retired Mesa Police Detective Matt Browning told the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Hatewatch blog that he was familiar with Giroux. Browning identified Giroux as a member of the Hammerskin Nation. Browning also noted that Giroux was also affiliated with the white supremacist prison gang, the Aryan Brotherhood.

In 2013, Giroux was released from prison after serving more than six years for attempted aggravated assault, according to records from the Arizona Department of Corrections. He had served two prior prison terms on burglary and marijuana charges.

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Devin Burghart

Author Devin Burghart

is vice president of IREHR. He coordinates our Seattle office, directs our research efforts, and manages our online communications. He has researched, written, and organized on virtually all facets of contemporary white nationalism since 1992, and is internationally recognized for this effort. Devin is frequently quoted as an expert by print, broadcast, and online media outlets. In 2007, he was awarded a Petra Foundation fellowship. more...

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